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Abstract
Efficient power splitting is a fundamental functionality in silicon photonic integrated circuits, but state-of-the-art power-division architectures are hampered by limited operational bandwidth, high sensitivity to fabrication errors or large footprints. In particular, traditional Y-junction power splitters suffer from fundamental mode losses due to limited fabrication resolution near the junction tip. In order to circumvent this limitation, we propose a new type of high-performance Y-junction power splitter that incorporates subwavelength metamaterials. Full three-dimensional simulations show a fundamental mode excess loss below 0.1 dB in an ultra-broad bandwidth of 300 nm (1400–1700 nm) when optimized for a fabrication resolution of 50 nm, and under 0.3 dB in a 350 nm extended bandwidth (1350–1700 nm) for a 100 nm resolution. Moreover, analysis of fabrication tolerances shows robust operation for the fundamental mode to etching errors up to ±20 nm. A proof-of-concept device provides an initial validation of its operation principle, showing experimental excess losses lower than 0.2 dB in a 195 nm bandwidth for the best-case resolution scenario (i.e., 50 nm).
Highlights
The silicon-on-insulator (SOI) integrated photonic platform has been successfully exploited in a wide variety of fields, from telecom and datacom systems [1,2] to biochemical sensors [3], LIDAR systems [4], microspectrometers [5,6,7] and supercontinuum generation [8], among many others
The width of the Subwavelength grating (SWG) stem waveguide was optimized to avoid a weak confinement of the Bloch–Floquet TE1 mode, which would lead to high TE1 excess losses (ELTE1 )
We have proposed a new type of high-performance power splitter based on a Yjunction that incorporates subwavelength metamaterials
Summary
The silicon-on-insulator (SOI) integrated photonic platform has been successfully exploited in a wide variety of fields, from telecom and datacom systems [1,2] to biochemical sensors [3], LIDAR systems [4], microspectrometers [5,6,7] and supercontinuum generation [8], among many others. The strong modal confinement results in SOI devices with high sensitivity to geometrical deviations from nominal design This constraint is present in power splitting components, a fundamental functionality in most silicon photonic integrated circuits [11] and, in an extensive range of applications including wavelength- and mode-division multiplexing [12], optical phased arrays [13]. The transition between the stem and arms is nearly lossless and wavelength independent for small enough branching angles and a perfectly sharp junction tip between said branches [28] The latter condition is hindered in real scenarios by the finite resolution of fabrication processes, requiring the application of more complex structures and optimization algorithms, such as slotted Y-junctions [18] or particle swarm optimization (PSO) [33].
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