A New Approach to Designing Polarization Rotating Waveguides
Moritz BAIER*, Francisco M. SOARES, Martin MOEHRLE, Norbert GROTE and Martin SCHELL
Fraunhofer HHI, Einsteinufer 37, Berlin, 10587, Germany
* moritz.baier@hhi.fraunhofer.de
Implementation of polarization rotating building blocks for photonic integrated circuits remains a challenge. To achieve polarization extinction ratios (PER) above 20 dB in indium phosphide (InP) based waveguides, fabrication tolerances with respect to the waveguide width of around 100 nm or less are required with previous designs [1]. In this work, we present a way of allowing for a respective tolerance of more than 200 nm which substantially eases fabrication using common optical lithography techniques. The design is again based on a slanted sidewall waveguide but a key feature of it is that it does not rely on the waveguide modes being angled by 45° as is commonly required with devices reported recently [1]–[3].
COBRA long wavelength active-passive monolithic photonic integration technology platform
S. Latkowski1*, P.J. van Veldhoven1, D. D’Agostino1, H. Rabbani-Haghighi1, B. Docter3, P. Thijs1, H. Ambrosius1, K. Williams1, E.A.J.M. Bente1 and M. Smit1
1COBRA Research Institute, Eindhoven University of Technology, De Zaale, 5612 AJ, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
2EFFECT Photonics B.V., Torenallee 20, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
* S.Latkowski@tue.nl
Standardized, generic photonic integration technologies [1] enable low-cost design and prototyping of photonic integrated circuits (PIC) realizing complex functionalities for a particular application on a chip scale. The range of potential applications for such photonics integration technology platforms [1] is currently restricted by the accessible wavelengths bands. All of the currently available and mature technology platforms offer their functionalities at wavelengths at around 1.5 µm. This wavelength range corresponds to the c-band in the area of telecommunications and consequently the majority of the application specific photonic integrated circuits (ASPIC) being realized target this area [1]. In order to extend the reach to other fields of applications and broaden a potential market for such generic photonic integration technologies the range of accessible wavelengths has to be diversified [2], [3]. The mid-infrared range beyond 2µm is particularly attractive for gas sensing applications due to presence of strong absorption lines of many gas species for example: acetone, ammonia, carbon dioxide, water vapor, formaldehyde, diethylamine, ethylamine, methylamine and others. Development of a long-wavelength, monolithic, active-passive integration technology on indium phosphide (InP) substrate was undertaken at the COBRA Research Institute in order to extend the potential of the already existing technology at 1.5µm.
Low-Energy, Dilated 4×4 Hybrid MZI-SOA Cross-point Optical Switch
M. DING, A. WONFOR, Q. CHENG, N. BAMIEDAKIS, R. V. PENTY, I. H. WHITE
Centre for Photonic Systems, University of Cambridge, CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
Author e-mail address:md613@cam.ac.uk.
Optical switches are regarded as potential key enabling components for future communication routing systems to accommodate significantly increasing internet traffic in both data-centres and the core network [1]. Opto-electronic devices, such as semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) and Mach-Zehnder Interferometers (MZIs), with nano-second response times have received much attention since they are able to fulfil the requirements of packet switching [2]. SOAs offer high ONOFF extinction ratio and broadband operation. However, SOA-based switches are constructed using a broadcast-and-select architecture, where splitterscombiners introduce inherent loss. This loss is compensated for by the gain provided by SOAs, although this is accompanied by amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise and saturation-induced distortion. MZI-based switches avoid the inherent loss due to splitterscombiners but they suffer from poor crosstalk performance and exhibit insertion loss.
Design environment for active photonic integrated circuits improves the DML
D. GALLAGHER, A. DABBS
Photon Design, 34 Leopold St, Oxford, OX4 1TW, UK
We present an advanced design environment for the development and simulation of modern photonic integrated circuits (PICs) including active components. Several PIC design environments have been developed targeting passive PICs. But InP PICs in particular can include SOAs and diode lasers. There are many excellent tools available for modelling SOAs and diode lasers but cannot be readily extended to model PICs. The environment is used to design a novel efficiency-enhanced DML (direct modulated laser).
InP-based Photonic Integration Platform: Status and Prospects
Victor DOLORES-CALZADILLA*, Francisco M. SOARES, Moritz BAIER, Tom GAERTNER, Mike FEYER, Martin MÖHRLE, Norbert GROTE, Martin SCHELL
Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz Institute, Einsteinufer 37, 10587 Berlin, Germany
* victor.calzadilla@hhi.fraunhofer.de
Photonic integration has a key role in the further expansion of the information technologies and it is expected to result in the disruption of many industry sectors [1]. Such a transition promises to lower the energy consumption of optoelectronic systems as well as to enable a broad range of new applications. Multi Project Wafer (MPW) runs for photonics have been implemented during the last decade, which target the use of a generic integration technology with high functionality at low cost [2].
Unidirectional Operation of a Monolithically Integrated Mode locked Semiconductor Ring Laser
Shuxuan Zhu1*,Adrian Wonfor1, Adrian Quarterman1, Nikos Bamiedakis1, Minsheng Ding1, Richard Penty1, Ian White1
1Centre for Photonic Systems, Electrical Division, Department of Engineering,9 JJ Thompson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0FA, United Kingdom
* sz292@cam.ac.uk
Introduction
Unidirectional operation is desirable attribute of a ring cavity laser. In fibre or bulk form this can be realized by applying discrete optical isolation techniques within the cavity. For monolithically integrated semiconductor lasers, the first monlithic integration of an optical isolator was reported by G. Takahashi et.al. in 2010 [1]. However, these are complex components which are difficult to integrate and are not available in the foundry used [2] in this work. Instead, we have realised unidirectional operation through the control of timing of the driving signals of the integrated laser. 4 GHz repetition rate pulses with a duration of 7ps and an energy of 0.24 pJ are generated.