Abstract
The availability of silicon photonic integrated circuits (ICs) in the 2–4 μm wavelength range enables miniature optical sensors for trace gas and bio-molecule detection. In this paper, we review our recent work on III–V-on-silicon waveguide circuits for spectroscopic sensing in this wavelength range. We first present results on the heterogeneous integration of 2.3 μm wavelength III–V laser sources and photodetectors on silicon photonic ICs for fully integrated optical sensors. Then a compact 2 μm wavelength widely tunable external cavity laser using a silicon photonic IC for the wavelength selective feedback is shown. High-performance silicon arrayed waveguide grating spectrometers are also presented. Further we show an on-chip photothermal transducer using a suspended silicon-on-insulator microring resonator used for mid-infrared photothermal spectroscopy.
Highlights
Silicon photonics has attracted great interest as a promising integrated-optics platform for various applications in the telecommunication wavelength range, such as optical interconnects [1,2]
III–V-on-Silicon Photodetectors in the 2 μm Wavelength Range. Photodetectors are another type of opto-electronic devices that should be Besides light sources, photodetectors are another type of opto-electronic devices that should integrated on photonic integrated circuits (ICs) for compact silicon photonic spectroscopic sensors, as discussed in Section be integrated on photonic ICs for compact silicon photonic spectroscopic sensors, as discussed in
We have reviewed our recent results on mid-infrared silicon photonic integrated circuits for spectroscopic sensing applications in the 2 to 4 μm wavelength range
Summary
Silicon photonics has attracted great interest as a promising integrated-optics platform for various applications in the telecommunication wavelength range, such as optical interconnects [1,2]. The high refractive index contrast of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides enables a tight bending radius, and ultra-compact photonic devices and systems With these advantages, in recent years the potential applications of silicon photonic integrated circuits (ICs) are extended to areas such as gas sensing [3,4,5], bio-sensing [6,7] and biomedical diagnostics [8,9]. The SOI waveguide circuit platform has become a standard for integrated photonics in the telecommunication wavelength range and the processes to fabricate these devices inside silicon photonics foundries are well developed [26]. A photothermal mid-infrared spectroscopy method is presented that uses a suspended SOI microring resonator operating at 1.55 μm acting as a transducer for photothermal spectroscopy in the 3–4 μm wavelength range, circumventing the need for a cooled mid-infrared detector
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