Nonlinear Group IV photonics based on silicon and germanium: from near-infrared to mid-infrared

Nanophotonics

article

Lin Zhang¹  Anuradha M. Agarwal¹  Lionel C. Kimerling¹  Jurgen Michel¹ 

[1] Microphotonics Center and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

关键词: silicon photonics;    Group IV photonics;    nonlinear optics;    dispersion;    slot waveguide;    micro-resonator;    integrated optics;    supercontinuum;    pulse compression;    frequency comb;   

DOI  :  10.1515/nanoph-2013-0020

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: De Gruyter

【 摘 要 】

Group IV photonics hold great potential for nonlinear applications in the near- and mid-infrared (IR) wavelength ranges, exhibiting strong nonlinearities in bulk materials, high index contrast, CMOS compatibility, and cost-effectiveness. In this paper, we review our recent numerical work on various types of silicon and germanium waveguides for octave-spanning ultrafast nonlinear applications. We discuss the material properties of silicon, silicon nitride, silicon nano-crystals, silica, germanium, and chalcogenide glasses including arsenic sulfide and arsenic selenide to use them for waveguide core, cladding and slot layer. The waveguides are analyzed and improved for four spectrum ranges from visible, near-IR to mid-IR, with material dispersion given by Sellmeier equations and wavelength-dependent nonlinear Kerr index taken into account. Broadband dispersion engineering is emphasized as a critical approach to achieving on-chip octave-spanning nonlinear functions. These include octave-wide supercontinuum generation, ultrashort pulse compression to sub-cycle level, and mode-locked Kerr frequency comb generation based on few-cycle cavity solitons, which are potentially useful for next-generation optical communications, signal processing, imaging and sensing applications.

【 授权许可】

CC BY