High extinction ratio TE-Pass polarizer using the effect of superstrate layer in Ge-Clad optical waveguide

Abstract

Attenuation characteristics of germanium (Ge) film clad planar optical waveguide are theoretically studied at the spectral wavelength of 0.6328 μm. Thin films of Ge are found to possess greater attenuation values than the other recognized materials. The existence of these greater attenuations is caused by lossy modes that are sustained by these films. It has been shown that the attenuation of the TM mode can be greatly increased by adding a high-index buffer layer between the Ge layer and the dielectric guide. It occurred because of the resonant coupling between the lossy modes supported by the Ge layer and the waveguide modes. Moreover, it is claimed that by adding a dielectric superstrate layer above the Ge thin film, the strength of the TM mode in the proposed structure can be further attenuated to an ultra-high value. In this study, a TE pass polarizer is proposed having a high extinction ratio of 30582.15 dB. Attenuation results are presented, after optimization of several parameters like thicknesses of Ge, buffer, and superstrate layers along with environmental stability of the suggested structure. The generated field distribution profiles are also in good agreement with the obtained attenuation results.