60-nm-thick basic photonic components and Bragg gratings on the silicon-on-insulator platform

Abstract

We demonstrate integrated basic photonic components and Bragg gratings using 60-nm-thick silicon-on-insulator strip waveguides. The ultra-thin waveguides exhibit a propagation loss of 0.61 dB/cm and a bending loss of approximately 0.015 dB/180° with a 30 μm bending radius (including two straight-bend waveguide junctions). Basic structures based on the ultra-thin waveguides, including micro-ring resonators, 1 × 2 MMI couplers, and Mach-Zehnder interferometers are realized. Upon thinning-down, the waveguide effective refractive index is reduced, making the fabrication of Bragg gratings possible using the standard 248-nm deep ultra-violet (DUV) photolithography process. The Bragg grating exhibits a stopband width of 1 nm and an extinction ratio of 35 dB, which is practically applicable as an optical filter or a delay line. The transmission spectrum can be thermally tuned via an integrated resistive micro-heater formed by a heavily doped silicon slab beside the waveguide.