Performance Investigation of Photonic Crystal-Based Microring Resonator for Optical Signal Processing

Abstract

A detailed theoretical analysis is presented to characterize wave propagation at 1,550 nm inside a glass (SiO₂) microring resonator implemented using photonic crystal technology. A photonic crystal reflection is used at each microring resonator corner to enhance the bending efficiency. The characteristics of both photonic crystal beam splitter and microring resonator bending losses are analyzed and investigated using both effective refractive index and finite difference time domain methods. Analytical expressions are also derived to describe the field enhancement inside the microring resonator, the transfer function of the microring resonator, and the main parameters characterizing the resonator such as resonator band width and quality factor. The analysis is also extended to characterize a drop filter implemented using photonic crystal-based microring resonator. The results indicate clearly that the effective refractive index method can give accurate results if one starts the calculations with finite difference time domain-estimated beam splitter parameters. Further, bending efficiency as high as 99% can be obtained using a ten-post layer photonic crystal mirror at each microring resonator corner.     

Towards athermal optically-interconnected computing system using slotted silicon microring resonators and RF-photonic comb generation

We report that completely athermal design of a slotted silicon waveguide is possible by combining the negative thermo-optic (TO) coefficient of, for example, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) with the positive TO coefficient of silicon. When used in a microring resonator structure, the filled overcladding slotted waveguide and the unfilled (air-filled) overcladding slotted waveguide can both achieve athermal characteristics. Simulations indicate a wide range of realizations with proper design parameters of the slotted waveguides, namely, the silicon strip and slot widths. Preliminary experimental results on fabricated devices demonstrate that the temperature dependence is reduced from 91 pm/°C for a regular microring resonator to 52 pm/°C for the PMMA-clad microring resonator. Completely athermal realization is expectable in similar devices with improved fabrication techniques. For the external optical source, we demonstrate a stable 3.5 THz wide (175 modes×20 GHz) optical comb source with nearly flat spectral phase. Adjustable mode spacing and wavelength tunability across the C-band are maintained so that comb lines can be matched to the specified wavelength grid of the computing system. With such schemes, temperature controls of individual optical components in the optically interconnected computing chips become unnecessary, greatly reducing the complexity of the computing system.     

Slotted microcavity ring resonators for optical storage applications

In this paper, slotted microcavity ring resonators based optical storage devices are proposed and analyzed by means of multiresolution time domain technique. The effect of the structure geometrical parameters on the coupling efficiency, normalized transmission spectra and quality factor has been thoroughly investigated and compared to that of the conventional no-slot microring resonator. The suggested slotted configurations increase the quality factor at a fixed gap size between the central ring and input/output waveguides. In addition, the desired compromise between the coupling efficiency and resonance effect inside the ring can be achieved by mere optimization of the slot geometrical characteristics.     

基于硅基槽波导的单纤三向滤波器的研究

设计了基于硅基槽波导的微环谐振型单纤三向滤波器。基于电磁场理论得到了二维情形下的硅基槽波导的模场及有效折射率随波长的变化关系,在此基础上,利用硅基槽微环谐振腔谐振波长与微环半径的关系,优化得到了可将1490nm和1550nm两个下载波长分开的谐振环半径,并同时将1310nm波长上传,三个波长信号从不同端口输出,成功地实现了三向器滤波功能。利用传递函数法模拟了所设计的硅基槽微环谐振型三向滤波器的输出光谱,结果显示其串扰可低至-16.9dB。     

Electro-optically tunable microring resonators on lithium niobate

Electro-optical tuning of a microring resonator fabricated on lithium niobate (LiNbO3) is presented. The device structure, including microring resonator and couplers, is designed in detail and is produced by titanium diffusion on the wet-etched LiNbO3 ridge surface. The resonance wavelengths for TM and TE polarizations can be tuned by electro-optic effect. The output characteristics of through port and drop port in the microring resonators are measured, and the effect of applied voltage on the shift of resonant wavelength is discussed. The presented microring resonators have the features of fast tuning speed, high material stability, bidirection wavelength shift, and no heating interference. Realization of such a microring resonator on LiNbO3 makes the utilization of electro-optic tuning and nonlinear effects in the versatile photonic applications of microring resonators achievable.     

Single-photon all-optical switching using coupled microring resonators

We study the nonlinear phase response of a microring resonator coupled to a bus waveguide and the use of this nonlinear phase shift to store information in the microring resonator and enhance the switching characteristics of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). By introducing coupling between adjacent microring resonators, the switching characteristics of the MZI can be exponentially enhanced as a function of the number of microring resonators, when compared to the linear enhancement for uncoupled resonators. With only a few moderate-finesse microring resonators, the switching power can be reduced to attowatt level, allowing for photonic switching devices that operate at single-photon level in ordinary optical waveguides.      

Photonic crystal horizontally slotted nanobeam cavity for silicon-based nanolasers

We theoretically propose and investigate a TM-polarized one-dimensional photonic crystal nanocavity with a horizontal SiO2 slot on a suspended silicon nanobeam via the three-dimensional finite-element method. The ultrahigh quality factor and ultrasmall effective mode volume of 1.5×10(7) and 0.176 half-wavelength cubic of the horizontally SiO2-slotted nanocavity show strong possibilities for realizing an erbium-doped SiO2 nanolaser. This horizontal SiO2 slot structure can be precisely formed via the sputtering process and further transformed into an air slot via selective wet etching for optical index and biomolecule sensing.     

Reflection Properties of Dual-Mode Filters Consisting of a Circular Array of Microring Resonators

A circular array consisting of an odd number of microring resonators is a dual-mode reflection filter. Based on the photonic energy band of a coupled microring resonator string and the resonant condition of the circular array, reflection characteristics of the circular array filter are discussed in detail. The parameters that influence the reflection characteristics and their effect mechanisms are demonstrated. The critical coupling phenomenon and its condition are revealed. We also show that the existence of loss in the rings can suppress split peaks and subsequently flatten the reflection spectrum to the whole pass band. Our work illuminates the application potential of a circular array of an odd number of microring resonators as an integrated photonics reflection filter.     

Modeling and analysis of silicon-on-insulator elliptical microring resonators for future high-density integrated photonic circuits

We propose a novel resonator containing an elliptical microring based on a silicon-on-insulator platform. Simulations using the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method show that the novel elliptical microring can efficiently enhance the mode coupling between straight bus waveguides and resonator waveguides or between adjacent resonators while preserving relatively high intrinsic quality factors with large free spectral range. The proposed resonator would be an alternative choice for future high-density integrated photonic circuits.     

Photonic microring resonator modulated resonance response analysis

This paper presents the resonance response analysis of a photonic microring resonator. It covers the mathematical as well as simulation analysis on the modulated signals. The mathematical formulation provides a relation of several microring resonator parameters that could potentially affect the ring resonator performances. The simulation shows a graphical representation of the ring resonator full-width at half-max, quality factor (Q-factor) as well as the depth of the resonance at different modulation voltages applied to the ring. Several parameters have also been altered which is the ring radius, the coupling coefficient of the waveguides as well as the waveguide material group index. With this investigation, we determine the possible cause of the change in Q factor of a silicon microring resonator when the resonance is modulated and the possible solution to minimize the problem.     

A microring resonator with an integrated Bragg grating: a compact replacement for a sampled grating distributed Bragg reflector

We present analysis of the distributed Bragg reflector in a microring resonator (DBR-MRR) structure. With appropriate design parameters, the device can closely reproduce the reflectance spectrum of a sampled grating distributed Bragg reflector (SGDBR). By inserting the grating inside a microring resonator, the structure is much more compact than an SGDBR, suppresses side mode ripples near each peak, and offers better control over its full width half maximum (FWHM). The device is expected to have applications in compact tunable lasers and other planar photonic devices.     

Optical switching and logic gates with hybrid plasmonic-photonic crystal nanobeam cavities

We propose a hybrid resonance architecture in which a plasmonic element is coupled to a silicon-on-insulator photonic crystal nanobeam cavity operating at telecom wavelengths. It benefits from the combined characteristics of the photonic cavity and the plasmonic element, and exploits the unique properties of Fano resonances resulting from interactions between the continuum and the localized cavity states. As confirmed through 3D time-domain simulations, a strong cavity mode damping by the plasmonic element offers mechanisms of controlling a probe signal propagating in the nanobeam. It makes possible to create optical switching devices and logic gates relying on any optical nonlinear effect.     

传输矩阵法分析微环谐振器阵列传输特性

微环谐振器可用作未来高密度、超大规模集成光路的基本构件,其重要发展方向之一是多环化、阵列化,微环谐振器阵列近来成为研究的热点。基于定向耦合器、环形谐振腔、直波导腔的基本单元传输矩阵,建立了用于分析微环谐振器阵列传输特性的传输矩阵模型。讨论了列间距对传输特性的影响,并数值模拟了不同尺度的奇数行和偶数行情况下谐振器阵列的传输特性。结合此传输矩阵模型,讨论了通过改变微环谐振器阵列的尺度以及耦合系数以实现滤波特性改善的方案。最后数值研究了最小尺度微环谐振器阵列传输特性与腔间耦合系数的关系。     

A Proposal and Demonstration for Photonic Generation of a Microwave Signal by Incorporating a Microring Resonator

A proposal for photonic generation of a microwave signal is presented by employing a dual wavelength erbiumdoped fibre ring laser. In the laser, a microring resonator is cascaded with a tunable bandpass filter to serve as a dual-wavelength selector, an unpumped polarization maintaining erbium-doped fibre is used as a saturable absorber. By replacing the microring resonator with a delay interferometer to verify the proposal, a wavelengthtunable dual wavelength single longitudinal mode laser is demonstrated, and a microwave signal at 10.01 GHz with a linewidth of less than 25 kHz is obtained by beating the two wavelengths at a photodetector.     

Low power Electro-optical filter: Constructed using silicon nanobeam resonator and PIN junction

In this paper, a high tunable Electro-optical filter is designed and simulated with low electric power consumption. A silicon nanobeam resonator based on one-dimensional photonic crystal in the form of Fabry–Perot structure, silicon-on-insulator waveguide, is proposed with a PIN junction. In designing nanobeam resonator, “deterministic design method” is used to achieve the high quality factor and high-transmission rate. Tuning of the resonant wavelength in the output channel of the filter is achieved by manipulating the refractive index of the active area by using the free-carrier dispersion effect. The output wavelengths of designed device can be tuned for the telecom-friendly 1.55 µm range. The device shows a wavelength shift higher than 3 nm for a power consumption of only 0.9 mW. Finally, the simulation results show that the provided device can be considered as a narrowband and tunable Electro-optical filter that is suitable for DWDM communication system.     

Ultrawide tuning of photonic microcavities via evanescent field perturbation

Evanescent field perturbation of an integrated microring resonator is examined as a means of achieving high-fidelity reversible tuning of photonic microcavities over large wavelength ranges. A 1.7% wavelength tuning is achieved through the use of a novel silica fiber probe that provides access to the evanescent field of an air-clad high-index-contrast ring resonator. As the microring is perturbed, the probe-ring distance is found through simultaneous nanometric distance calibration and force measurements. Experimental results agree well with theoretical tuning. Possible microelectromechanical systems implementation of this effect is discussed, as well as avenues for improvement of the tuning range.     

硅基槽式微环谐振腔型偏振解复用器全矢量分析

提出一种紧凑型偏振解复用器, 其中两条常规硅基波导作为输入/输出信号通道, 居于其中的槽式微环谐振腔用于偏振态/波长选择组件. 采用全矢量频域有限差分法详细分析了硅基常规及槽波导的模式特性, 结果发现其横磁模的模场布及其有效折射率相似, 而其横电模相应的特性则差异明显, 结果输入横磁模能够在谐振工作波长下从下路端口输出, 而输入横电模与微环耦合可以忽略, 直接从直通端口输出, 从而实现两偏振态的高效分离. 采用全矢量时域有限差分法详细分析了该偏振解复用器的光波传输特性, 结果表明, 当微环半径为3.489 μm时, 在1.55 μm工作波长下, 横磁模与横电模的消光比与插入损耗分别为 ～ 26.12 (36.67) dB与 ～ 0.49 (0.09) dB. 另外, 论文详细讨论了器件关键结构参数的制作容差, 并给出了输入模场在器件中的传输演变情况.     

The study of electro-optical sensor based on slotted photonic crystal waveguide

A compact and sensitive electro-optical sensor based on slotted photonic crystal waveguide (S-PhCW) is demonstrated. The electro-optical sensor can be realized in photonic crystal (PhC) slabs of silicon in Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI). Nonlinear optical polymer is used as infiltration. By applying three-dimensional finite difference time domain (3D-FDTD), the sensitivity and quality factor of electro-optical sensor with different slotted waveguide width are calculated. In addition, sensitivity and the optical properties such as transmission spectrum and field distributions are compared between electro-optical sensor based on line defect photonic crystal waveguide (W1-PhCW) and that based on slotted photonic crystal waveguide (S-PhCW). Simulation results demonstrate that, compared with electro-optical sensor based on line defect photonic crystal waveguide, the sensitivity and quality factor is improved by 30 times and 6.6 times respectively in sensor based on slotted photonic crystal waveguide. Besides, the proposed PhC sensor devices have the advantage of a compact structure with the potential for monolithic integration with optical-to-electrical on-chip conversion and detection.     

Microwave photonic crystal on the slot transmission line with a ferroelectric film

A microwave electrically tunable photonic crystal based on a periodically width-modulated slot transmission line with a ferroelectric film is investigated for the first time. The dispersion and transmission characteristics of electromagnetic waves propagating in such a structure are calculated. The electric control over photonic crystal characteristics is simulated.     

Liquid refractive index sensor based on slow light in slotted photonic crystal waveguide

A high sensitive and compact refractive index sensor based on slotted photonic crystal waveguide (S-PhCW) is demonstrated. This design is worked on a Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) configuration with S-PhCW as the measuring arm, which can be used to detect any changes in refractive index that correspond to different concentration of the measuring liquid. Combining the slow light enhancement in photonic crystal waveguide (PhCW) with the advantage of excellent optical confinement in slot waveguide, the sensitivity of this simple scheme can reach to 2.3 × 10⁹ nm/RIU with the active region of only 1 mm long.