154-μm TM-mode waveguide optical isolator based on the nonreciprocal-loss phenomenon: device design to reduce insertion loss

Abstract

We developed a 1.5-microm band TM-mode waveguide optical isolator that makes use of the nonreciprocal-loss phenomenon. The device was designed to operate in a single mode and consists of an InGaAlAs/InP ridge-waveguide optical amplifier covered with a ferromagnetic MnAs layer. The combination of the optical waveguide and the magnetized ferromagnetic metal layer produces a magneto-optic effect called the nonreciprocal-loss phenomenon--a phenomenon in which the propagation loss of light is larger in backward propagation than it is in forward propagation. We propose the guiding design principle for the structure of the device and determine the optimized structure with the aid of electromagnetic simulation using the finite-difference method. On the basis of the results, we fabricated a prototype device and evaluated its operation. The device showed an isolation ratio of 7.2 dB/mm at a wavelength from 1.53 to 1.55 microm. Our waveguide isolator can be monolithically integrated with other waveguide-based optical devices on an InP substrate.