Waveguiding at 1500 nm using photonic crystal structures in silicon on insulator wafers

Abstract

Summary form only given. Planar photonic crystal waveguides and devices may offer the possibility to build photonic circuits with greater density and new functionality compared to existing waveguide devices that are based on the control of light by refraction. The primary vehicles for this research are the study of microcavity lasers as a path to understanding new functionality, and the propagation of light around sharp bends as the path to increasing the packing density of planar optical circuits. We report our results on the successful demonstration of coupling and guiding of light in a planar photonic circuit incorporating sharp bends. Photonic crystal structures were designed to confine light in a silicon waveguide at 1500 nm, by drilling air holes at periodic intervals around the waveguide region. Both square and hexagonal structures have been studied. The pattern design was transferred to a silicon-on-insulator wafer using direct-write e-beam lithography. The pattern was etched into the silicon layer by chemically assisted ion beam etching (CAIBE).