Propagation Loss Of Waveguide Research Articles

Femtosecond laser writing of robust waveguides in optical fibers with enhanced photosensitivity

We report the femtosecond laser writing of meter-long optical waveguides inscribed through the coating of specifically designed optical fibers. In order to improve the material photosensitivity and to ensure non-guiding optical fibers for subsequent laser processing of the waveguiding core, a depressed refractive index core design is implemented by co-doping a large portion of the optical fiber with germanium oxide and fluorine. The enhanced photosensitivity provided by further deuterium loading these fibers allows laser-writing of large refractive index contrast waveguides over wide cross sections. To mitigate the formation of photoinduced color centers causing high propagation losses in the photo-written waveguides, thermal annealing up to 400°C is performed on polyimide-coated laser-written fibers. Although the refractive index contrast decreases, the propagation losses are drastically reduced down to 0.08 dB/cm at 900nm allowing a robust single-mode guiding from visible to near infrared. Our results pave the way towards the development of a new generation of optical fibers and photonic components with arbitrarily complex designs.

Tunable and stable micro-ring resonator based on thin-film lithium tantalate

As ferroelectric materials, lithium tantalate and lithium niobate share similar material characteristics, such as a high Pockels effect and nonlinear optical coefficients. When compared to lithium niobate, lithium tantalate offers a higher optical damage threshold, a broader transparent window, and lower birefringence, making it a promising candidate for high-performance electro-optical photonic integrated devices. In this study, we design and successfully fabricate micro-ring resonators on an acoustic-grade lithium-tantalate-on-insulator wafer, demonstrating their tunability and dynamic modulation capabilities. Experimental results indicate that the achieved thin-film lithium tantalate based micro-ring resonator exhibits an intrinsic Q-factor of 8.4 × 105, corresponding to a waveguide propagation loss of 0.47 dB/cm and a tuning efficiency of 1.94 pm/V. More importantly, as compared to those based on thin-film lithium niobate, a much weaker photorefractive effect and drift phenomenon around the 1550 nm wavelength under a direct-current drive are observed in the present fabricated thin-film lithium tantalate micro-rings with a silicon oxide over-cladding and a tuning electrode on top.

GeAsSeTe/GeAsSe Pedestal Waveguides for Long-Wave Infrared Tunable on-Chip Spectroscopy

A dry-etched pedestal chalcogenide waveguide platform, designed for use in long-wave IR spectrometer applications, is demonstrated, fabricated and optically characterized. The optical layers were deposited on pre-patterned dry-etched silicon pedestals. An exceptionally low waveguide propagation loss was measured, at around 0.1 dB/cm at λ = 10 μm. The modal thermo-optic coefficient of the waveguide was experimentally estimated to be approximately 1.1 × 10−4 C−1 at λ = 1.63 μm, which is comparable to that of Si and GaAs. Waveguide spiral interferometers were fabricated, proving the potential for realization of more complex, chalcogenide-based, integrated photonic circuits. The combination of low propagation losses and a strong thermo-optic coefficient makes this platform an ideal candidate for utilization in on-chip tunable spectrometers in the long-wave IR wavelength band.

Propagation loss in polyfluorene waveguides due to nanometer-roughness at their interfaces, studied by amplified spontaneous emission measurements

The propagation loss in single-mode asymmetric waveguides due to interface nanometer-roughness was studied using amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) measurements. Poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (F8) was used as the organic gain medium and the structure of the asymmetric waveguide was quartz glass substrate/F8/air. The propagation loss was measured at the ASE wavelength (447 nm) of amorphous F8, and the surface roughness of the substrate and F8 was measured using an atomic force microscope. The propagation losses of F8 waveguides with different F8 slab thicknesses were in good agreement with those calculated using an analytical expression for single-mode asymmetric waveguides with nanometer-roughness interfaces. The results presented herein will be useful for the design of high-performance organic lasers and organic optoelectronic integration systems.

X-Cut Lithium Niobate Optical Waveguide with High-Index Contrast and Low Loss Fabricated by Vapor Proton Exchange

Highly integrated and stable devices are appealing in optical communication and sensing. This appeal arises from the presence of high refractive index contrast and high-quality waveguides. In this study, we improved the vapor proton exchange (VPE) process, enabling large-scale waveguide fabrication and addressing the issue of liquid exchange during cooling. Additionally, we have prepared and characterized planar waveguides on X-cut lithium niobate (LN) crystals. The exchanged samples exhibit α and k1 phases, refractive index contrasts as high as 0.082, and exceptional refractive index uniformity. Furthermore, we utilized the same process to fabricate channel waveguides and Y-branch waveguides. We achieved low propagation losses in channel waveguides, accompanied by small mode sizes, and low-loss Y-branch waveguides with a highly uniform beam splitting ratio. All waveguides exhibited consistent performance across multiple preparations and tests, remaining free from aging effects for three months. Our results underscore the promising potential of VPE for creating Y-branch splitters and modulators in LN crystals.

Orange surface waveguide laser in Pr:LiYF4 produced by a femtosecond laser writing.

Depressed-cladding surface channel waveguides were inscribed in a 0.5 at.% Pr:LiYF4 crystal by femtosecond Direct Laser Writing. The waveguides consisted of a half-ring cladding (inner diameter: 17 µm) and side structures ("ears") improving the mode confinement. The waveguide propagation loss was as low as 0.14 ± 0.05 dB/cm. The orange waveguide laser operating in the fundamental mode delivered 274 mW at 604.3 nm with 28.4% slope efficiency, a laser threshold of only 29 mW and linear polarization (π), representing record-high performance for orange Pr waveguide lasers.

Low-loss operation of silicon-on-insulator integrated components at 2.6-2.7 µm.

Development of mid-infrared photonics is gaining attention, driven by a multitude of sensing applications requiring increasingly compact and cost-effective photonics systems. To this end, low-loss operation of µm-scale silicon-on-insulator photonic integration elements is demonstrated for the 2.6-2.7 µm wavelength region. The platform utilizes the 3 µm thick silicon core layer technology enabling demonstration of low-loss and low birefringence waveguides. Measurements of record low single mode waveguide propagation losses of 0.56 ± 0.09 dB/cm and bend losses <0.08 dB for various miniaturized bend geometries are presented and validated by simulation. Furthermore, a wavelength filter based on echelle grating that allows to select several operating channels within the 2.64-2.7 µm band, with a linewidth of ∼1.56 nm for each channel is presented.

Etchless photonic integrated circuits enabled by bound states in the continuum: tutorial

We provide a detailed tutorial demonstrating how the principle of “bound states in the continuum” (BICs) enables ultralow-loss guiding and routing of photons in photonic integrated circuits fabricated with an etchless process. Here, BICs refer to the nondissipative transverse magnetic (TM) polarized bound modes that exist in the transverse electric (TE) polarized continuum. First, we provide a theoretical analysis of BICs based on the coupling between the TM bound modes and the TE continuum, which is next verified by numerically simulated waveguide propagation loss of the TM bound modes for different waveguide geometries. Then, we present the experimental details, which include fabrication processes and characterization methods for various types of BIC-based integrated photonic devices. Finally, we discuss the superiority and versatility of the BIC-based integrated photonic platform, which can be adopted for different thin-film substrates, for different wavelength ranges, and for heterogeneous integration with different functional materials.

Toward point-of-care diagnostics: Running enzymatic assays on a photonic waveguide-based sensor chip with a portable, benchtop measurement system.

We demonstrate a portable, compact system to perform absorption-based enzymatic assays at a visible wavelength of 639 nm on a photonic waveguide-based sensor chip, suitable for lab-on-a-chip applications. The photonic design and fabrication of the sensor are described, and a detailed overview of the portable measurement system is presented. In this publication, we use an integrated photonic waveguide-based absorbance sensor to run a full enzymatic assay. An assay to detect creatinine in plasma is simultaneously performed on both the photonic sensor on the portable setup and on a commercial microplate reader for a clinically relevant creatinine concentration range. We observed a high correlation between the measured waveguide propagation loss and the optical density measurement from the plate reader and measured a limit-of-detection of 4.5 μM creatinine in the sensor well, covering the relevant clinical range for creatinine detection.

Wideband dispersion-free THz waveguide platform

We present a versatile THz waveguide platform for frequencies between 0.1 THz and 1.5 THz, designed to exhibit vacuum-like dispersion and electric as well as magnetic field enhancement. While linear THz spectroscopy benefits from the extended interaction length in combination with moderate losses, nonlinear THz spectroscopy profits from the field enhancement and zero dispersion, with the associated reshaping-free propagation of broadband single- to few-cycle THz pulses. Moreover, the vacuum-like dispersion allows for velocity matching in mixed THz and visible to infrared pump-probe experiments. The platform is based on the motif of a metallic double ridged waveguide. We experimentally characterize essential waveguide properties, for instance, propagation and bending losses, but also demonstrate a junction and an interferometer, essentially because those elements are prerequisites for THz waveform synthesis, and hence, for coherently controlled linear and nonlinear THz interactions.

Mid-infrared integrated silicon–germanium ring resonator with high Q-factor

We report the realization of a silicon–germanium on silicon ring resonator with high Q-factor at mid-infrared wavelengths. The fabricated ring exhibits a loaded Q-factor of 236 000 at the operating wavelength of 4.18 µm. Considering the combined waveguide propagation losses and bending losses, which are measured to be below 0.2 dB/cm, even higher Q-factors could be achieved on this platform. Furthermore, our dispersion engineering of the waveguides should make these microrings suitable for nonlinear optical applications. These results pave the way for sensing applications and nonlinear optics in the mid-infrared range.

Nonlinear optical materials based on fluorinated polyurethane-imides and their application in waveguide devices

Two monomers, a second-order nonlinear optical azo chromophore C containing a tricyanofuran electron acceptor and a dihydroxyethyl nitrogen electron donor, and a bisphenol AF-type diether dianhydride (BPAFDA), were designed and synthesized. Fluorinated polyurethaneimide (PUI) electro-optic (EO) waveguide materials were prepared using the synthesized monomers polymerized with 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI). The structures of the synthesized chromophore C, BPAFDA, and polymers of PUI were characterized by 1HNMR and FTIR, and the thermal properties of the polymers were characterized by DSC and TGA. The prepared PUI exhibited good film-forming properties with glass transition temperatures (Tg) between 160–169°C and over 300°C at 5% thermal weight loss in a nitrogen atmosphere. The experimental results showed that the fluorinated PUIs possessed an EO coefficient of 56–60 p.m./V at 1550 nm and the optical propagation loss of the polymer waveguide was between 1.3–1.4 dB/cm at 1550 nm. Using PUI as the core material of the waveguides, EO modulators with Mach-Zehnder (MZ) structure were designed and prepared, showing good EO modulation performance at 1550 nm.

Ultrahigh-Q lithium niobate microring resonator with multimode waveguide.

Difficulty in etching lithium niobate (LN) results in a relatively high propagation loss, which necessitates sophisticated processes to fabricate high-quality factor (Q) microresonators. Here, we fabricate a multimode microring resonator with an intrinsic Q of 6 × 106, which exhibits a propagation loss 50 times lower than that of a single-mode LN microring fabricated under the same process. Notably, the excitation of higher-order modes in the multimode microring is effectively suppressed by utilizing the Euler bend. The highly regular transmission spectrum of the resonator demonstrates a free spectral range (FSR) of 56 GHz. Based on this microresonator, we implement a bandpass microwave photonic filter with an ultra-narrow 3 dB bandwidth of 47.5 MHz and a large tuning range of 2-26.5 GHz. It can be anticipated that the combination of existing advanced etching techniques with this work will drive the propagation loss of a LN waveguide closer to the material absorption loss, significantly facilitating the optimization of performance in applications requiring ultrahigh-Q LN microresonators, such as frequency combs, frequency conversion, electro-optic modulation, and quantum photonics.

High-Q chalcogenide racetrack resonators based on the multimode waveguide.

We propose and demonstrate a highquality (Q) factor racetrack resonator based on uniform multimode waveguides in high-index contrast chalcogenide glass film. Our design features two carefully designed multimode waveguide bends based on modified Euler curves, which enable a compact 180° bend and reduce the chip footprint. A multimode straight waveguide directional coupler is utilized to couple the fundamental mode without exciting higher-order modes in the racetrack. The fabricated micro-racetrack resonator shows a record-high intrinsic Q of 1.31×106 for selenide-based devices, with a relatively low waveguide propagation loss of only 0.38dB/cm. Our proposed design has potential applications in power-efficient nonlinear photonics.

Method for the simultaneous measurement of waveguide propagation loss and bending loss

Abstract: The propagation loss of waveguide is a key indicator to evaluate the performance of an integrated optical platform. The commonly used cut-back method to measure the propagation requires the introduction of the Spiral test structure. In order to remove the effect of bending loss, the bending radius is usually designed to be large enough, taking up a lot of foot print. In this paper, we suggested a method to measure the propagation loss and bending loss of waveguide simultaneously with cut-back structure. The bending loss can be exponentially fitted with the bending radius according to simulation, which can be further simplified as linear fitting between the natural logarithm of the bending loss and the bending radius. A genetic algorithm was used to fit the insertion loss curve of the cutback structure and calculate the propagation loss and bending loss. With this method, we measured a cut-back structure of lithium niobate waveguide and got the propagation loss of 0.558dB/cm and bending

Strip waveguides in Yb3+-doped silicate glass formed by combination of He+ ion implantation and precise ultrashort pulse laser ablation

Abstract Strip optical waveguides were realized in Yb3+-doped silicate glass with ultrashort pulse laser ablation assisted He+ ion implantation. Planar waveguides were first prepared near the glass surface by He+ ion implantation (450 keV + 500 keV + 550 keV), followed by annealing at 260℃. After that, under the processing parameters of 3 μJ energy and 50 μm/s ablation velocity, two parallel tracks with separation of 15, 20, and 25 μm were, respectively, inscribed on the sample, which confine the light in lateral direction to form a strip waveguide. The near-field intensity measurement indicates that the strip waveguides maintain the single-mode propagation characteristics with 976 nm laser injection, and present the multi-mode characteristics with 632.8 nm laser injection, showing that the guided modes are well supported in the strip waveguides. The minimum propagation loss of strip waveguide is 1.35 dB/cm. Fluorescence emission spectra indicate that the gain properties of waveguide core were maintained well after waveguide preparation, revealing that the strip waveguide device in Yb3+-doped silicate glass has the potential to become an active device as waveguide laser or waveguide amplifier.

Improvement in measuring losses by interferometric technique for glass waveguides produced by femtosecond laser writing

This study describes a straightforward and non-destructive interferometric technique for measuring the propagation loss in single-mode optical glass waveguides by exploiting a Fabry–Perot cavity effect. The experiment involves coupling a powerful tunable laser source to a single-mode waveguide that is being tested, then using a detector to analyze the transmission fringes of that source after coating the glass end facets with highly reflective coating. Our first experiment, which used a 22.4-mm-long fabricated waveguide on Non-Iox Gorilla glass to demonstrate the technique, resulted in a propagation loss of 0.49 dB/cm at a transmitting wavelength of about 1575 nm, which is completely consistent with the value obtained by a conventional characterization method. The measurement procedure is also independent from the coupling losses, making the characterization easier and reliable after the manufacturing just with a reversible deposition process on the sample under testing.

Phase-resolved all-fiber reflection-based s-NSOM for on-chip characterization.

We report on a phase-resolved, reflection-based, scattering-type near-field scanning optical microscope technique with a convenient all-fiber configuration. Exploiting the flexible positioning of the near-field probe, our technique renders a heterodyne detection for phase measurement and point-to-point frequency-domain reflectometry for group index and loss measurement of waveguides on a chip. The important issue of mitigating the measurement errors due to environmental fluctuations along fiber-optic links has been addressed. We perform systematic measurements on different types of silicon waveguides which demonstrate the accuracy and precision of the technique. With a phase compensation approach on the basis of a common-path interferometer, the phase drift error is suppressed to ∼ 0.013°/s. In addition, characterizations of group index, group velocity dispersion, propagation loss, insertion loss, and return loss of component waveguides on a chip are all demonstrated. The measurement accuracy of the propagation loss of a ∼ 0.2 cm long nano-waveguide reaches ±1 dB/cm. Our convenient and versatile near-field characterization technique paves the way for in-detail study of complex photonic circuits on a chip.

Infrared LiF ridge waveguide fabricated by carbon ion irradiation

We report on the fabrication of an optical ridge waveguide in lithium fluoride crystal using the method of C5+ ion irradiation with precise diamond blade dicing. The guiding properties of the waveguide at the infrared wavelengths of 1064 nm, 2200 nm and 4000 nm are investigated in detail. All the near-field modal profiles exhibit single-mode guidance and the minimum propagation losses of the ridge waveguide after annealing are reduced to 0.7 dB cm−1 (λ = 1064 nm), 0.4 dB cm−1 (λ = 2200 nm) and 0.2 dB cm−1 (λ = 4000 nm), respectively. The Raman spectroscopy of the waveguide shows that the ion irradiation does not obviously change the lattice structure of the crystal.

(Digital Presentation) Ge-on-insulator Platform for Mid-infrared Photonic Integrated Circuits

Since mid-infrared (MIR) wavelengths have a great potential for optical communication, sensing, and quantum information, Si-based MIR photonic integrated circuits (PICs) have been developed by leveraging Si photonics technology for near-infrared wavelengths. However, the transparency wavelength window of Si is from 1.2 µm to 8 µm, limiting the available wavelengths in the MIR spectrum. Ge is emerging as a waveguide material to overcome this difficulty because Ge is transparent in the entire MIR spectrum. A Ge-on-Si waveguide is one of the promising platform for a MIR PICs. We have also proposed a Ge-on-insulator (GeOI) platform for MIR integrated photonics [1]. The strong optical confinement in a GeOI waveguide enables an ultracompact MIR PIC. Using wafer bonding and smart-cut, a GeOI wafer was successfully fabricated [2]. As a result, we have demonstrated various Ge passive devices, thermo-optic phase shifters, and modulators on a GeOI platform [3][4].The propagation loss of a GeOI waveguide is one of the issues. The crystal defects induced by hydrogen implantation for smart-cut generates holes in a Ge film. As a result, evening using an n-type Ge donor wafer for smart-cut, a final Ge layer tends to be p-type. Since free-hole absorption in Ge is significant, the propagation loss of a p-type GeOI becomes large. To suppress hole generation, the optimization of the hydrogen implantation conditions was conducted. We found that the higher the implantation energy was, the deeper the center of the defect position was from a Ge surface [5]. When the implantation energy increases from 80 keV to 160 keV, the defects can be removed from a 300-nm-thick Ge device layer, enabling an n-type GeOI wafer. As a result, a low-loss GeOI waveguide with a propagation loss of 2.3 dB/cm was demonstrated.The monolithic integration of Ge passive waveguides and photodetectors (PDs) is also essential for a MIR PIC. We examined the defect-assist photodetection mechanism in a GeOI waveguide with a lateral PIN junction. When a reverse voltage was applied to the PIN junction, the substantial photocurrent was observed at a wavelength of 2 µm for which Ge is transparent. The defect-assist photodetection is expected to be enhanced due to the large intrinsic carrier density in Ge. As a result, the responsivity of 0.25 A/W was obtained at -5 V.In conclusion, we have developed a GeOI photonics platform for MIR wavelengths. We have achieved a low-loss Ge waveguide, PDs, and optical modulators, the indispensable building blocks for large-scale MIR PICs. The functionality of a GeOI platform can be extended with emerging materials including graphene and phase change materials.This work was partly based on the results from the project JPNP13004, commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and supported by JST-Mirai Program Grant Number JPMJMI20A1, JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP20H02198, and the Canon Foundation.Reference[1] Z. Zhao, C.-M. Lim, C. Ho, K. Sumita, Y. Miyatake, K. Toprasertpong, S. Takagi, and M. Takenaka, “Low-loss Ge waveguide at the 2-µm band on an n-type Ge-on-insulator wafer,” Opt. Mater. Express, vol. 11, no. 12, pp. 4097–4106, 2021.[2] J. Kang, X. Yu, M. Takenaka and S. Takagi, “Impact of thermal annealing on Ge-on-Insulator substrate fabricated by wafer bonding,” Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, vol. 42, Part 2, pp. 259-263, 2016.[3] M. Takenaka et al., “Heterogeneous CMOS Photonics Based on SiGe/Ge and III–V Semiconductors Integrated on Si Platform,” IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron., vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 64–76, May 2017.[4] T. Fujigaki, S. Takagi, and M. Takenaka, “High-efficiency Ge thermo-optic phase shifter on Ge-on-insulator platform,” Opt. Express, vol. 27, no. 5, p. 6451, Mar. 2019.[5] Z. Zhao et al., “Low-loss Ge waveguide at the 2-µm band on an n-type Ge-on-insulator wafer,” Opt. Mater. Express, OME, vol. 11, no. 12, pp. 4097–4106, Dec. 2021.[6] Z. Zhao, C.-P. Ho, K. Toprasertpong, S. Takagi, and M. Takenaka, “Monolithic Germanium PIN Waveguide Photodetector Operating at 2 μm Wavelengths,” Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC2020), W4G.3, San Diego, 8–12 March 2020.