Abstract
AbstractThe emergence of silicon photonics over the past two decades has established silicon as a preferred substrate platform for photonic integration. While most silicon-based photonic components have so far been realized in the near-infrared (near-IR) telecommunication bands, the mid-infrared (mid-IR, 2–20-μm wavelength) band presents a significant growth opportunity for integrated photonics. In this review, we offer our perspective on the burgeoning field of mid-IR integrated photonics on silicon. A comprehensive survey on the state-of-the-art of key photonic devices such as waveguides, light sources, modulators, and detectors is presented. Furthermore, on-chip spectroscopic chemical sensing is quantitatively analyzed as an example of mid-IR photonic system integration based on these basic building blocks, and the constituent component choices are discussed and contrasted in the context of system performance and integration technologies.
Highlights
Mid-IR (2–20-μm wavelength range) is a technologically important wave band [1,2,3] that (a) encompasses multiple atmospheric windows (e.g. 3–5 μm and 8–14 μm) essential for thermal imaging, infrared homing, and countermeasures and (b) covers the primary absorption bands of most chemical and biological molecules as well as the fingerprint region (7–20 μm), both of which are of prime interest to spectroscopic sensing
We present our perspective on the growing field of mid-IR integrated photonics
To examine the influence of wavelength scaling on thermo-optic devices, we consider the thermo-optic figure of merit (FOM) defined as the inverse of the product of 10–90% rise time and power consumption to turn on or off the switch (Pφ), a parameter often cited when drawing a comparison between different thermo-optic switching technologies
Summary
Mid-IR (2–20-μm wavelength range) is a technologically important wave band [1,2,3] that (a) encompasses multiple atmospheric windows (e.g. 3–5 μm and 8–14 μm) essential for thermal imaging, infrared homing, and countermeasures and (b) covers the primary absorption bands of most chemical and biological molecules as well as the fingerprint region (7–20 μm), both of which are of prime interest to spectroscopic sensing. Growth of narrow-band gap crystalline semiconductors for mid-IR optoelectronics requires exotic substrates such as off-cut Si, InSb, or CdZnTe. Planar photonic devices obtained by integration onto a silicon platform offer a viable alternative for manufacturing low-cost and high-performance optoelectronics in high volumes. Expanding the operational wavelength of integrated photonic devices and systems to the mid-IR can revolutionize mid-IR optics and represents a prime growth opportunity for integrated photonics. This article seeks to provide a comprehensive review on stateof-the-art mid-IR devices integrated on silicon leveraging both monolithic and hybrid technologies, thereby including relevant material technologies beyond Si. The review is sectioned by the device type and function, including the advantages and limitations of different device implementations. The design further yields quantitative insights into the chemical detection performance of such sensor-on-a-chip systems
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