阅读说明：本技术 一种亚波长多模y分支波导 (Sub-wavelength multi-mode Y-branch waveguide ) 是由 张敏明 卢隆辉 刘德明 于 2019-09-10 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明属于集成光子器件领域,提供了一种亚波长多模Y分支波导,旨在解决基于现有光刻工艺分支波导最小间隙宽度不为零,导致模式失配的问题。亚波长多模Y分支波导包括一条输入主干波导和两条最小间隙宽度不为零的输出分支波导,输入主干波导包括相连的直波导和啁啾的亚波长狭缝波导,输出分支波导包括两条S型波导。在主干波导引入一段啁啾的狭缝结构,狭缝结构由N段不同的一维亚波长光栅组成。通过优化设计这N段亚波长光栅的等效宽度或等效材料折射率,可以等效实现间隙宽度从零绝热渐变的分支波导,从而解决了模式失配问题,减小了器件的额外损耗和串扰,提升了多模Y分支波导的性能。(The invention belongs to the field of integrated photonic devices, and provides a sub-wavelength multimode Y-branch waveguide, aiming at solving the problem of mode mismatch caused by the fact that the minimum gap width of a branch waveguide is not zero based on the existing photoetching process. The sub-wavelength multi-mode Y-branch waveguide comprises an input main waveguide and two output branch waveguides with the minimum gap width not being zero, the input main waveguide comprises a straight waveguide and a chirped sub-wavelength slit waveguide which are connected, and the output branch waveguides comprise two S-shaped waveguides. A section of chirped slit structure is introduced into the trunk waveguide, and the slit structure is composed of N sections of different one-dimensional sub-wavelength gratings. By optimally designing the equivalent width or the equivalent material refractive index of the N sections of sub-wavelength gratings, the branch waveguide with the gap width gradually changed from zero adiabatic can be equivalently realized, so that the problem of mode mismatch is solved, the extra loss and crosstalk of the device are reduced, and the performance of the multi-mode Y branch waveguide is improved.)

1. a sub-wavelength multimode Y-branch waveguide comprises an input trunk waveguide and two output branch waveguides, and is characterized in that the trunk waveguide comprises a straight waveguide and a chirped sub-wavelength slit waveguide which are connected; the chirped sub-wavelength slit structure comprises a plurality of sections of one-dimensional sub-wavelength gratings with the equivalent slit width or the equivalent material refractive index gradually changed in sequence.

2. The sub-wavelength multimode Y-branch waveguide of claim 1, wherein each section of one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating is comprised of a circular hole or a square hole.

3. The subwavelength multimode Y-branch waveguide of claim 1, wherein each output branch waveguide is an S-type waveguide and the minimum gap width of the two output branch waveguides is a non-zero value.

4. The sub-wavelength multimode Y-branch waveguide of claim 3 wherein the two output branch waveguides are symmetrically or asymmetrically distributed.

5. the subwavelength, multimode Y-branch waveguide of claim 1 wherein the waveguide is etched on a single SOI substrate using standard silicon-based fabrication processes.

6. The sub-wavelength multimode Y-branch waveguide of claim 1 wherein the input trunk waveguide width is 1.84 μ ι η; the width of each output branch waveguide is 0.9 μm, the length is 25 μm, and the output end distance is 1 μm; the minimum gap width of the two output branch waveguides is 40 nm.

7. The sub-wavelength multimode Y-branch waveguide of claim 1, wherein the sub-wavelength slit structure is composed of 1-N sections of one-dimensional sub-wavelength gratings with different parameters from right to left, each section of one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating is composed of circular holes with radius and period of R respectively_iAnd Λ_iWherein i ═ 1,2, …, N; the parameters of the one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating are determined by the following steps:

Step 1, presetting R₁Let TE₀The mode effective refractive index of the mode in the slit waveguide based on the first section of the sub-wavelength grating is matched with the slit waveguide with the slit width as the minimum gap width, and the lambda is determined₁；

Step 2, taking the minimum value R within the allowable range of the device processing conditions_Nlet TE₀the mode effective refractive index of the narrow slit waveguide of the sub-wavelength grating at the Nth section of the mode is matched with that of the straight waveguide of the main waveguide, and the lambda is determined_N；

Step 3, dividing the rest sub-wavelength grating into two areas I and II, and determining the parameters (R) of the rest sub-wavelength grating according to the following formula_i,Λ_i)：

The 1 st to m th sections of one-dimensional sub-wavelength gratings are regions I, the (m +1) th to N th sections of one-dimensional sub-wavelength gratings are regions II, the delta lambda is a periodic gradient parameter, and the delta R is a radius gradient parameter.

8. The subwavelength multimode Y-branch waveguide of claim 7, which isIs characterized in that the N-section one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating has the parameter of R₁＝45nm，Λ₁＝120nm，R_N＝20nm，Λ_N＝260nm，ΔΛ＝10nm，ΔR＝5nm，m＝15，N＝20。

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the field of integrated photonic devices, and particularly relates to a sub-wavelength multimode Y-branch waveguide.

Background

Mode division multiplexing is the emerging multiplexing technology which is most concerned after wavelength division multiplexing, and the single-wavelength communication capacity is expected to be remarkably improved by introducing a plurality of orthogonal modes. For the mode division multiplexing system, because a plurality of modes are included, the design of the related photonic integrated device is more complex, and both a fundamental mode and a high-order mode need to be considered, so that the multimode photonic device for the multimode optical interconnection link also needs to be researched. Silicon-based multimode photonic integrated devices have become a new focus of research, given the interest in silicon photonics for CMOS compatibility. Due to its simple and flexible mode and power manipulation capability, the multimode Y-branch waveguide has a wide application scenario in silicon-based multimode photonic integration, such as mode conversion, mode synthesis, mode splitting and multimode cross-connect, mode multiplexing/demultiplexing, and polarization splitting/rotation. Multimode Y-branch waveguides can be classified into symmetrical and asymmetrical types according to their geometry.

Referring to fig. 1, the ideal adiabatic Y-branch waveguide structure comprises an input waveguide 1 and two S-shaped output waveguides 2 with zero minimum gap width W, which are connected in series. Theoretically, if the branching waveguides can be gradually separated from zero gap width, maximum coupled power can be obtained with minimum branching loss. However, due to the precision limitations of the existing lithographic processes, such an ideal zero gap width is difficult to achieve in practical devices, which causes large extra loss and crosstalk. To overcome the above problems, related researchers have proposed multi-mode Y-branch structures based on Asymmetric Directional Couplers (ADCs), Tapered Directional Couplers (TDCs), and Adiabatic Couplers (ACs). Although the zero gap width in the conventional Y-branch can be avoided, the multi-mode Y-branch is still limited in practical applications due to the requirement of precise coupling length and strength control for ADC-based designs, the difficulty in expanding the TDC-based designs to support multiple modes due to their large size, and the difficulty in process integration due to the requirement of hundreds of microns or even millimeters in length for adiabatic coupling for AC-based designs. Generally, no better solution is available to implement multi-mode Y-branch waveguides.

Disclosure of Invention

Aiming at the defects of the prior art, the invention aims to provide a sub-wavelength multi-mode Y-branch waveguide, aiming at solving the problem of mode mismatch caused by the fact that the minimum gap width of the conventional multi-mode Y-branch waveguide in the prior photoetching process cannot be zero.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a sub-wavelength multimode Y-branch waveguide, comprising an input trunk waveguide and two output branch waveguides, wherein the trunk waveguide comprises a straight waveguide and a chirped sub-wavelength slit waveguide connected to each other; the chirped sub-wavelength slit structure comprises a plurality of sections of one-dimensional sub-wavelength gratings with gradually changed equivalent slit widths.

Preferably, each one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating is composed of a circular hole or a square hole.

Preferably, each output branch waveguide is an S-shaped waveguide, and the minimum gap width of the two output branch waveguides is a non-zero value.

Preferably, the two output branch waveguides are symmetrically or asymmetrically distributed.

Preferably, the waveguide is etched out on a single SOI substrate using standard silicon-based fabrication processes.

preferably, the input trunk waveguide width is 1.84 μm; the width of each output branch waveguide is 0.9 μm, the length is 25 μm, and the output end distance is 1 μm; the minimum gap width of the two output branch waveguides is 40 nm.

Furthermore, the sub-wavelength slit structure is composed of 1-N sections of one-dimensional sub-wavelength gratings with different parameters from right to left, each section of one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating is composed of circular holes, and the radius and the period of the one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating are respectively R_iAnd Λ_i1,2, …, N, wherein the parameters of the one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating are determined by the following steps:

Step 1, presetting R₁Let TE₀The mode effective refractive index of the mode in the slit waveguide based on the first section of the sub-wavelength grating is matched with the slit waveguide with the slit width as the minimum gap width, and the lambda is determined₁；

Step 2, taking the minimum value R within the allowable range of the device processing conditions_NLet TE₀the mode effective refractive index of the narrow slit waveguide of the sub-wavelength grating at the Nth section of the mode is matched with that of the straight waveguide of the main waveguide, and the lambda is determined_N；

Step 3,Dividing the rest sub-wavelength grating into two regions I and II, and determining the parameters (R) of the rest sub-wavelength grating according to the following formula_i,Λ_i)：

The 1 st to m th sections of one-dimensional sub-wavelength gratings are regions I, the (m +1) th to N th sections of one-dimensional sub-wavelength gratings are regions II, the delta lambda is a periodic gradient parameter, and the delta R is a radius gradient parameter.

Preferably, the N-segment one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating parameter is R₁＝45nm，Λ₁＝120nm，R_N＝20nm，Λ_N＝260nm，ΔΛ＝10nm，ΔR＝5nm，m＝15，N＝20。

The sub-wavelength multimode Y branch provided by the invention utilizes the equivalent width and refractive index regulation of the sub-wavelength grating structure in the sub-wavelength dimension, can artificially cut the refractive index, equivalently realizes the branch waveguide with the gap width gradually changed from zero adiabatic, fundamentally solves the problem of mode mismatch caused by the non-zero minimum gap width of the branch waveguide based on the prior photoetching technology, and has ultralow extra loss and crosstalk; in addition, the working bandwidth of the multimode curved waveguide device is 1530 nm-1570 nm, and the multimode curved waveguide device can support C-band communication transmission.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an ideal adiabatic multimode symmetric Y-branch waveguide;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a sub-wavelength adiabatic multimode symmetric Y-branch waveguide provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3(a) is a TE with Y-branches according to an embodiment of the present invention₀Extra loss and crosstalk of modes;

FIG. 3(b) is a TE of Y-branch provided by an embodiment of the present invention₁Extra loss and crosstalk of modes;

FIG. 3(c) is a schematic diagram of a Y-branch T provided by an embodiment of the present inventionE₂Extra loss and crosstalk of modes;

FIG. 3(d) is a TE of Y-branch provided by an embodiment of the present invention₃Extra loss and crosstalk of modes;

The reference signs are: 1-input trunk waveguide, 2-output branch waveguide, 3-chirped slot waveguide.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the present invention is described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the embodiments of the present invention described below may be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

Referring to FIG. 2, a sub-wavelength adiabatic four-mode symmetric Y-branch waveguide is taken as an example, considering TE only₀/TE₁/TE₂/TE₃Mode (2): comprising an input trunk waveguide 1 and two symmetrical output branch waveguides 2. Wherein the trunk waveguide comprises a straight waveguide and a chirped slot waveguide 3 connected together. The input trunk waveguide width is 1.84 μm, which is the silicon-based waveguide width supporting four TE modes. The output branch waveguides are two symmetrical S-shaped waveguides with the width of 0.9 μm, the width of the silicon-based waveguides supporting two TE modes is 25 μm, and the distance between the output tail ends is 1 μm. The minimum gap width of the two output branch waveguides is w_gap＝40nm。

the chirped sub-wavelength slit structure consists of 1-N sections of one-dimensional sub-wavelength gratings with different parameters from right to left, wherein N is a positive integer. Each section of one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating consists of circular hole units, and the radius and the period of each section of one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating are R respectively_iAnd Λ_i(i ═ 1,2, …, N). Each section of one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating can be equivalent to a uniform slit structure, and the equivalent width of the slit structure isThe equivalent material refractive index is:

Wherein n is_HAnd n_LRespectively the refractive index of the waveguide and the cladding material, and f is the duty cycle of the sub-wavelength grating, defined as

By optimally designing the period and the radius of each circular hole unit, the equivalent width or the refractive index of a section from the joint of the slit structure and the straight waveguide to the end can be slowly changed so as to meet the adiabatic gradual change condition.

On the other hand, based on the waveguide, a method for obtaining parameters of the N-segment one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating is specifically described, including:

Step 1: obtaining the parameter (R) of the first sub-wavelength grating₁,Λ₁)

Since gap widths other than zero mainly result in mode mismatch for the even-symmetric mode, the adiabatic tapering condition only needs to be designed for the even-symmetric mode, with TE₀The description is given for the sake of example. According to adiabatic ramp conditions, TE₀The mode effective refractive index of the slit waveguide in the first sub-wavelength grating should be equal to that of the slit with the width w_gapAre matched. Due to w_gapKnown as TE₀At a slit width of w_gapThe effective refractive index of the slit waveguide can be determined, and then the predetermined R is combined₁Then the parameter Λ can be calculated₁。

Step 2: obtaining the parameter (R) of the N-th sub-wavelength grating_N,Λ_N)

According to adiabatic ramp conditions, TE₀The mode effective refractive index of the slit waveguide of the nth segment sub-wavelength grating should match the mode effective refractive index of the straight waveguide of the trunk waveguide. Meanwhile, in order to satisfy the above conditions, R is theoretically_NIt should also be set as small as possible. Considering the limitation of the EBL process in terms of precision, time cost and the like during the device processing, the minimum value R is taken within the allowable range of the processing conditions_N20 nm. In addition, the period Λ_Nthe value of (A) also needs to satisfy the sub-wavelength working condition, the upper limit of the period of the round hole unit should be less than the minimum working Bragg wavelength, namely Lambda<Λ_upper＝λ_min/(2·n_Bloch) Wherein λ is_minAt the minimum operating wavelength, n_BlochThe effective refractive index of the Bloch fundamental mode. Synthesizing the adiabatic gradual change condition and the sub-wavelength working condition to finally determine the lambda_N。

And step 3: obtaining parameters (R) of the rest sub-wavelength gratings_i,Λ_i)

According to adiabatic gradual change conditions, the parameters of the residual sub-wavelength grating are required to be gradually changed between the first section and the Nth section, and the parameters of the residual sub-wavelength grating are divided into two areas I and II for design in consideration of the precision limit and the time cost of an EBL process and a simulation design process during device processing. Parameter (R)_i,Λ_i) Can be expressed by the following formula:

the area I is the 1 st-m section one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating, the area II is the (m +1) th-N section one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating, the delta lambda is the periodic gradient parameter, and the delta R is the radius gradient parameter. R determined according to the first two steps₁And R_NI.e. Δ R can be calculated by the above formula, followed by determination of Δ Λ, thereby determining the parameters (R) of the remaining sub-wavelength gratings_i,Λ_i)。

In this embodiment, the N-segment one-dimensional sub-wavelength grating parameters are specifically: r₁＝45nm，Λ₁＝120nm，R_N＝20nm，Λ_N＝260nm，ΔΛ＝10nm，ΔR＝5nm，m＝15，N＝20。

The device is completed by one-step etching on a single SOI substrate by a standard silicon-based manufacturing process, wherein the waveguide thickness is 220nm, the oxide buried layer thickness is 2000nm, and the oxide cladding thickness is 1200 nm. Corresponding to the sample wafer of the embodiment, the output extra loss and crosstalk test results of each mode are shown in fig. 3(a) to (d), the insertion loss of each mode of the multimode symmetrical Y-branch waveguide in the wavelength band of 1530nm to 1570nm is less than 0.5dB, the crosstalk is less than-20 dB, and the imbalance of the two output branch waveguides is less than 0.15 dB.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the invention, and that any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention.