Abstract
We propose and realize a bandwidth and wavelength-tunable all-optical filter with high tuning efficiency based on double opto-mechanical microring resonators (MRRs) assisted Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) structure, which is beneficial to achieve high extinction ratio and shape factor. As the optical field gradient is largely enhanced in the free-hanging MRRs, the opto-mechanical effect could be excited by low power consumption. By injecting the corresponding low resonance powers, the drop transmission of each MRR could be flexibly tuned based on the opto-mechanical effect. Consequently, the synthetic transmission of the microring-assisted MZI could be efficiently manipulated. The results show that by injecting pump powers of 0.40 mW and 1.84 mW, the bandwidth and wavelength of the all-optical filter could be tuned from 0.17 nm to 0.30 nm, and from 1550.09 nm to 1550.60 nm respectively with maintaining a high extinction ratio of 38 dB and a small passband ripple of 1 dB. Especially, the tuning efficiencies of bandwidth and wavelength could realize up to 0.325 nm/mW and 0.277 nm/mW, respectively. The proposed optical filter has dominant advantages of high tuning efficiencies and extinction ratios, small passband ripple and compact footprint, which has significant applications in on-chip all-optical systems.
Highlights
Optical filters are fundamental devices in optical signal processing and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems [1], [2], which are widely used in noise suppression, signal quality improvement and message capacity increase [3]–[5]
We propose and realize a bandwidth and wavelength-tunable all-optical filter with high tuning efficiency based on double opto-mechanical microring resonators (MRRs) assisted Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) structure, which is beneficial to achieve high extinction ratio and shape factor
As the optical field gradient is largely enhanced in the free-hanging MRRs, the opto-mechanical effect could be excited by low power consumption
Summary
Optical filters are fundamental devices in optical signal processing and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems [1], [2], which are widely used in noise suppression, signal quality improvement and message capacity increase [3]–[5]. Optical filters with simultaneously tunable wavelength and bandwidth have attracted widespread attention due to their flexibility and reconfiguration [13], [14], such as the liquid crystal modulation [15], [16] and free-space optical technology [17]. These filters which are incompatible with the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) are difficult for large-scale integration. The silicon-based opto-mechanical MRR provides an energy-efficient solution for on-chip dynamic signal processing [30]–[32]. It has dominant advantages of high tuning efficiencies, small passband ripple (< 1 dB) and compact footprint, which has significant applications in on-chip all-optical systems
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