Abstract
We report the first experimental observation in the optical domain of a dramatic width-dependent lateral leakage loss behavior for the TM-like mode of tight vertical confinement ridge waveguides formed in silicon-on-insulator. The lateral leakage loss displays a series of sharp cyclic minima at precise waveguide widths, and appears to be inherent to waveguide geometries of central importance to a wide variety of active devices in silicon photonics requiring lateral electrical access. This behavior is not predicted by the often-used effective-index-based methods, but is understood phenomenologically and also compared to prior numerical analysis and predictions of leaky mode behavior. It is shown that TM-like mode operation, critical to the operation of some active component designs, will require precision control of waveguide dimensions to achieve high performance.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 429-431 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | IEEE Photonics Technology Letters |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 15 2007 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Leaky waves
- Optical losses
- Optical waveguides
- Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering