Abstract
In this paper, we investigate the mode sensitivity (S mode ) of subwavelength grating slot (SWGS) waveguides. S mode is an important parameter in various waveguide-based photonic circuits such as sensors, modulators, and thermally-controlled devices. It is a measure of the sensitivity of the waveguide effective index towards the refractive index perturbations in the cladding medium. The SWGS waveguide exhibits high mode sensitivity, as it combines sensitivity enhancement features of both slot and subwavelength grating waveguides. Finite-difference time-domain simulations are performed for the analysis, design, and optimization of the hybrid structure. The SWGS waveguide is incorporated into a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator platform for the experimental estimation of S mode . The measured S mode value of 79% is consistent with the theoretical prediction of 83%.
Highlights
Segmenting waveguide structures at the subwavelength scale of the propagating light is an elegant and flexible method to tailor the dispersion and nonlinear properties of photonic devices without modifying the material composition
In this paper, we investigate the mode sensitivity (Smode) of subwavelength grating slot (SWGS) waveguides
The SWGS waveguide is incorporated into a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator platform for the experimental estimation of Smode
Summary
Segmenting waveguide structures at the subwavelength scale of the propagating light is an elegant and flexible method to tailor the dispersion and nonlinear properties of photonic devices without modifying the material composition. Diffraction effects of the periodic structure are eliminated when the periodicity scale is in the subwavelength regime, where the waveguide can be modeled as a homogeneous optical medium with an effective refractive index that depends on the dimensions and geometry of its constituent materials This method has been employed in early studies of electromagnetic polarizations at the radio wave spectrum [1], and later to realize anti-reflective surfaces in the visible range [2]. The weak modal confinement of the subwavelength grating slot (SWGS) waveguide has been used for sensing applications [15], [16] Both are enabled by the high dependence of the waveguide effective index on the cladding material, which is quantified by the mode sensitivity (Smode) parameter.
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