Polymeric 32-channel arrayed waveguide grating multiplexer using fluorinated poly (ether ether ketone)

In wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems, an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) multiplexer is a key component. A polymeric AWG multiplexer has recently attracted much attention due to its low cost processing and a potential of integration with other devices. Fluorinated poly (ether ether ketone)(FPEEK) is excellent material for fabrication of optical waveguides due to its low absorption loss at 1.55-μm wavelength and high thermal stability. A 32-channel AWG multiplexer has been designed based on the grating diffraction theory and fabricated using newly synthesized FPEEK. During the fabrication process of the Polymer/Si AWG device, spin coating, vaporizing, photolithographic patterning and reactive ion etching (RIE) are used. The AWG multiplexer measurement system is based on a tunable semiconductor laser, infrared camera and a Peltier-type heater. The device exhibits a wavelength channel spacing of 0.8nm and a center wavelength of 1548 nm in the room temperature.     

An Efficient Technique for Analyzing Transmission Characteristics of Arrayed Waveguide Grating Multiplexers

An efficient technique is presented for analyzing transmission characteristics of arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) multiplexers. As an example, calculations using this technique are performed for a polymer 33 × 33 AWG multiplexer around the central wavelength of 1.55 m with the wavelength spacing of 0.8 nm. Computed results show that this technique possesses high accuracy for analyzing the power profile, diffraction efficiency, transmission spectrum, free spectral range and crosstalk of the AWG multiplexer.     

Design and fabrication of arrayed waveguide grating using fluoropolymer PFS-co-GMA

A 33×33 polymer arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) multiplexer is optimized and fabricated. This device is made of polymeric materials named 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorostyrene-co-glycidylmethacrylate (PFS-co-GMA). The central wavelength and wavelength spacing are designed to be 1550.918 and 0.8 nm, respectively. The calculated results are: the 3-dB bandwidth is about 0.24 nm, insertion loss is about 8.4 dB and crosstalk is −33.7 dB. The corresponding measured results are: the center wavelength is about 1550.85 nm, wavelength channel spacing is about 0.81 nm, 3-dB bandwidth is about 0.35 nm, crosstalk is about −20 dB, insertion loss is between 10.4 dB for the central port and 11.9 dB for the edge ports.     

Photonic crystal channel drop filter based on ring-shaped defects for DWDM systems

This paper presents a novel configuration of channel drop filters based on two-dimensional photonic crystal slabs in silicon-on-insulator platforms. The structure is composed of two photonic crystal line-defect waveguides as input and output ports, along with an L3 cavity with ring-shaped border holes. The effects of structural parameters and fabrication errors on resonance frequency and drop efficiency are investigated. Band structure and propagation of electromagnetic field through device are calculated by plane wave expansion and finite-difference time-domain methods. The results show that the quality factor and line-width of output signal are ~5690 and 0.27 nm, respectively, indicating that the proposed filter can be properly used in dense wavelength division multiplexing systems with 0.8 nm channel spacing.     

Design of a polymer directional coupler electro-optic switch using two-section reversed electrodes

By using the coupled mode theory, electro-optic modulation theory, conformal transforming method and image method, the structure is designed, the parameters are optimized, and the characteristics are analyzed for a polymer directional coupler electro-optic switch with two-section reversed electrodes. Simulation shows that the designed device exhibits excellent switching functions. Under the operation wavelength of 1550 nm, the electro-optic coupling region length is 4751 μm, the cross-state and bar-state voltages are about 1.22 and 2.65 V, and the insertion loss and crosstalk are less than 2.21 and −30 dB, respectively. By slightly adjusting the state voltages, the blight of the fabrication errors on the switching characteristics can be easily eliminated. The calculation results of the presented technique are in good agreement with those of the beam propagation method (BPM).     

InP阵列波导光栅的误差分析

在InP阵列波导光栅的制作过程中会引入不同的误差,从而影响器件的性能.为了最大限度地控制误差,提高半导体器件性能,本文采用传输函数法对InP基阵列波导光栅的系统误差和随机误差分别进行了分析.从系统误差的模拟结果中可以得到如下结论:深脊型波导的有效折射率n_c平均每偏移+0.000 1,中心波长偏移+0.05nm.相邻阵列波导长度差ΔL每偏移+0.01 μm,中心波长将偏移+0.44 nm.n_c和ΔL仅仅会影响到传输谱中心通道及其他各通道对应的波长,使得传输谱发生整体漂移,而信道间隔及串扰不会改变.罗兰圆半径R偏移不会影响器件的中心通道对应的波长,但会使其它通道对应的波长发生变化,最终使得信道间隔改变,R增加50 μm,信道间隔减小0.03 nm.从随机误差模拟结果中,得出:波导芯区折射率、上包层折射率、衬底折射率、波导宽度和波导芯层厚度的随机波动会对阵列波导光栅的串扰产生较大的影响.根据以上分析,可以通过控制不同参量来调节器件的中心波长以及信道间隔等来优化阵列波导光栅的光学性能.     

Optimization of Optical Add-Drop Multiplexers Based on Arrayed Waveguide Gratings with Fabrication Errors for Transparent Optical Networks

A transparent optical network (TON) composed by optical add-drop multiplexers based on arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) with fabrication errors is optimized for 10 Gbit/s per channel and channel spacing of 25 GHz. The optimization takes into account the effect of inter-symbol interference, amplified spontaneous emission noise accumulation, and coherent and incoherent homodyne crosstalk. Numerical results reveal that AWG fabrication errors can have a high influence on the TON performance; however, in all investigated situations, they do not affect the AWG parameters values corresponding to the optimum AWG frequency response. This surprising behavior is due to the fabrication errors affect mainly the AWG response outside the passband for the required AWG crosstalk level. It is shown that the optimum AWG frequency response is a flat-top response with a mean amplitude response outside the passband lower than ?30 dB and the switch isolation should exceed 30 dB.     

Optimization of Optical Add-Drop Multiplexers Based on Arrayed Waveguide Gratings with Fabrication Errors for Transparent Optical Networks

A transparent optical network (TON) composed by optical add-drop multiplexers based on arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) with fabrication errors is optimized for 10 Gbit/s per channel and channel spacing of 25 GHz. The optimization takes into account the effect of inter-symbol interference, amplified spontaneous emission noise accumulation, and coherent and incoherent homodyne crosstalk. Numerical results reveal that AWG fabrication errors can have a high influence on the TON performance; however, in all investigated situations, they do not affect the AWG parameters values corresponding to the optimum AWG frequency response. This surprising behavior is due to the fabrication errors affect mainly the AWG response outside the passband for the required AWG crosstalk level. It is shown that the optimum AWG frequency response is a flat-top response with a mean amplitude response outside the passband lower than -30 dB and the switch isolation should exceed 30 dB.     

Modeling of arrayed waveguide grating for wavelength interrogation application

We have proposed and discussed a design of arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) for the application of wavelength interrogation. The spectral responses of a silica-based 16 channel AWG with channel spacing 1.6 nm have been simulated when different receiver waveguide spacing are used. It was found that the 3-dB bandwidth is reduced about 50% as the receiver waveguide spacing increasing from 20 μm to 30 μm. The effect of bandwidth of the spectral response on wavelength resolution of AWG based interrogator has been estimated and discussed.     

Polymeric arrayed waveguide grating using imprint method incorporating a flexible PDMS stamp

A polymeric arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) has been proposed and demonstrated by employing the nanoimprint method. A flexible PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) stamp with the device patterns engraved was developed from a rigid master mold made of quartz glass, featuring uniform precision contact with and easy separation from polymer films. The device was fabricated by replicating the pattern on the stamp in a core polymer layer, with no etching process involved. For our device, the number of the output channels is eight and the center wavelength of each output channel is positioned from 1543.7 nm to 1548.3 nm with the spacing of 0.8 nm. The achieved channel crosstalk was about 10 dB and the 3 dB bandwidth approximately 0.8 nm.     

Fabrication of hollow optical waveguides in fused silica by three-dimensional femtosecond laser micromachining

We report on the fabrication of hollow optical waveguides in fused silica using femtosecond laser micromachining. We show that in such hollow waveguides, high-intensity femtosecond laser beams can be guided with low optical loss. Our technique, which was established earlier for fabrication of optofluidic structures in glass, can ensure a high smoothness at the inner surfaces of the hollow waveguides and provide the unique capability of fabrication of hollow waveguides with complex geometries and configurations. A transmission of ∼90% at 633 nm wavelength is obtained for a 62-mm-long hollow waveguide with an inner diameter of ∼250 μm. In addition, nonlinear propagation of femtosecond laser pulses in the hollow waveguide is demonstrated, showing that the spectral bandwidth of the femtosecond pulses can be broadened from ∼27.2 to ∼55.7 nm.     

Characteristic Analysis of a Smooth Square Microring Resonant Wavelength Multiplexer

Novel formulas of amplitude coupling ratio and transmission functions are presented for a smooth square microring resonant (MRR) wavelength multiplexer. By using these formulas, transmission characteristics are analyzed and some parameters are optimized for such a 1 × 8 polymeric device around the central wavelength of 1550.92 nm with the wavelength spacing of 1.6 nm. In the design of the device, by using the smooth squares, a thicker coupling layer is obtained, and by resonating the light at different resonant orders in different filter elements, the ring radius increment is increased sufficiently, which is of benefit to the fabrication of the device. When the amplitude coupling ratio is 0.2, the 3-dB bandwidth of the spectral response is about 0.2 nm; the ratio between -1 dB and -10 dB bandwidths is about 0.2; the insertion loss is less than 1.33 dB; and the crosstalk is below -21 dB for every vertical output channel of the device.     

Performance analysis of metro WDM network based on an optical cross connects and arrayed waveguide grating demultiplexer

In this paper, we have demonstrated the quality-of-service offered by the metropolitan area network which is based on optical cross connect (OXC) and arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) demultiplexer operating at 10 Gb/s with 0.1 nm channel spacing for NRZ signal transmission. The data is successfully transmitted to a distance of 40 km with a reasonably good BER of 2.388 × 10⁻³⁵. The OXC and AWG demultiplexers in the proposed architecture allow incremental expansion in terms of the number of wavelength channels to be transmitted. Dispersion and crosstalk are the main signal-degrading factors arising from the operation of the OXC and the effectiveness of each factor is individually investigated.     

Combined optical dispersion by prism and arrayed waveguide grating with multiple diffraction orders for Raman spectrometer

A compact dispersive device for Raman spectrometer was proposed to achieve a spectrum resolution below 0.55 nm in the spectral range of 800 to 1000 nm. A 41-channel arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) with eleven different diffraction orders was designed, and each output channel of this AWG contained eleven light signals with periodically 20 nm spaced wavelength. These signals were further cross-dispersed by a prism, and finally form a 41 × 11 spots array on a CCD. The detailed theoretical analysis and simulation of this dispersive device were introduced in this paper. Compared with commercial dispersive modules composed of grating, lens, and mirrors, the proposed structure is able to provide a compact device with higher spectrum resolution, which is attractive for handheld Raman spectrometer.     

Passive broadband silicon-on-insulator polarization splitter

We present the implementation of a novel wavelength independent polarization splitter on a silicon-on-insulator platform. The waveguide splitter is based on a zero-order arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) configuration. The splitting function is realized by employing cladding stress-induced birefringence. The device demonstrated a TE to TM splitting ratio better than -15 dB over a 20 nm tuning range centered around lambda=1550 nm and better than -10 dB over our entire accessible wavelength range from lambda=1465 nm to 1580 nm. The highest splitting extinction ratio achieved was -20 dB. To our knowledge, this is the first reported passive broadband polarization splitter based on AWG.     

Multi-spectral antireflection coating on zinc sulphide simultaneously effective in visible,eye safe laser wave length and MWIR region

In recent years multi-spectral device is steadily growing popularity. Multi-spectral antireflection coating effective in visible region for sighting system, laser wavelength for ranging and MWIR region for thermal system can use common objective/receiver optics highly useful for state of art thermal instrumentation. In this paper, design and fabrication of antireflection coating simultaneously effective in visible region (450–650 nm), Eye safe laser wave length (1540 nm) and MWIR region (3.6–4.9 μm) has been reported. Comprehensive search method of design was used and the number of layers in the design was optimised with lowest evaluated merit function studied with respect to various layers. Finally eight-layer design stack was established using hafnium oxide as high index layer and silicon-di-oxide as low index coating material combination. The multilayer stack had been fabricated by using electron beam gun evaporation system in Symphony 9 vacuum coating unit. During layer deposition the substrate was irradiated with End-Hall ion gun. The evaporation was carried out in presence of oxygen and layer thicknesses were measured with crystal monitor. The result achieved for the antireflection coating was 85% average transmission from 450 to 650 nm in visible region, 95% transmission at 1540 nm and 96% average transmission from 3.6 to 4.9 μm in MWIR region.     

An anti-reflective 1D rectangle grating on GaAs solar cell using one-step femtosecond laser fabrication

We report the fabrication of the anti-reflective micro/nano-structure on absorbing layer of GaAs solar cell surface using an efficient approach based on one-step femtosecond laser irradiation. Morphology of the microstructures and reflectance of the cell irradiated are characterized with SEM and spectrometer to analyze the influence of laser processing parameters on the change of microstructures induced and the reflectance. It has been found that the rectangle grating micro/nano-structure with a period of 700 nm and width of 600 nm is obtained neatly with laser pulse energy of 30.5 μJ(pulse duration is 130 fs, center wavelength is 800 nm, scanning speed is 2.2 mm/s and spot diameter is 22 µm). Reflectance has been suppressed to 23.6% with rectangle structure from 33% of planar cell. In addition, simulation using a finite-difference-time domain(FDTD) method results show that the rectangle grating micro/nano-structure can effectively suppress the reflection within large wavelength ranges.     

Direct laser-writing of dielectric-loaded surface plasmon–polariton waveguides for the visible and near infrared

We demonstrate flexible and low-cost fabrication of dielectric-loaded surface plasmon–polariton waveguides. The waveguide structures are fabricated by two-photon polymerization of commercially available, spin-coatable epoxy-based UV-lithographic resist on a metal covered glass slide. The excitation and guiding properties of the plasmonic waveguides are investigated in the far-field at a wavelength of 632.8 nm by imaging the leakage radiation from the waveguide modes. The optimum bending radius for right angle bends is measured to 6 μm providing a transmission of up to 70%. The functionality of more complex Y-splitters is demonstrated.     

32-channel arrayed waveguide grating multiplexer using low loss fluorinated polymer operating around 1550 nm

A 32 × 32 arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) multiplexer operating around the 1550 nm wavelength has been designed and fabricated using highly fluorinated polyethers. The propagation loss of the slab waveguide is about 0.3 dB/cm at 1550 nm wavelength. The channel spacing of the AWG multiplexer is 0.8 nm (100 GHz). The insertion loss of the multiplexer is 10.3-15.3 dB and the crosstalk is less than −20 dB.