Integration of low loss vertical slot waveguides on SOI photonic platforms for high efficiency carrier accumulation modulators

Zhang, Weiwei, Ebert, Martin, Chen, Bigeng, Reynolds, Jamie Dean, Yan, Xingzhao, Du, Han, Banakar, Mehdi, Tran, D.T., Debnath, Kapil, Littlejohns, Callum, Saito, Shinichi and Thomson, David (2020) Integration of low loss vertical slot waveguides on SOI photonic platforms for high efficiency carrier accumulation modulators. Optics Express, 28 (16), 23143-23153. (doi:10.1364/OE.397044).

Abstract

Silicon accumulation type modulators offer prospects of high power efficiency, large bandwidth and high voltage phase linearity making them promising candidates for a number of advanced electro-optic applications. A significant challenge in the realisation of such a modulator is the fabrication of the passive waveguide structure which requires a thin dielectric layer to be positioned within the waveguide, i.e. slotted waveguides. Simultaneously, the fabricated slotted waveguide should be integrated with conventional rib waveguides with negligible optical transition losses. Here, successful integration of polysilicon and silicon slot waveguides enabling a low propagation loss 0.4-1.2 dB/mm together with an ultra-small optical mode conversion loss 0.04 dB between rib and slot waveguides is demonstrated. These fabricated slot waveguide with dielectric thermal SiO₂ layer thicknesses around 6 nm, 8 nm and 10 nm have been characterized under transmission electron microscopy allowing for strong carrier accumulation effects for MOS-capacitor electro-optic modulators.

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Contributors

Author: Bigeng Chen

Author: Jamie Dean Reynolds

Author: Shinichi Saito

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