Broadband and mode insensitive multimode interference based mode power splitter for mode division multiplexing

Abstract

A mode insensitive mode power splitter (MPS) based on multimode interference has been designed using silicon on insulator. The device supports fundamental and first-order transverse electric (TE) and fundamental transverse magnetic (TM) mode (TE0, TE1, and TM0) having minimum excess loss of 0.06 dB at input of 1550 nm wavelength, and less than 0.5 dB for a broad wavelength of 1410–1690 nm. Moreover, the proposed mode splitter has a low mode dependent loss (MDL) of 0.02 dB at 1550 nm and supports broad bandwidth of 280 nm having MDL <0.4 dB. The proposed MPS can be a useful mode division multiplexing component for optical networks.