Active tunable high contrast meta-structure Si waveguide

Abstract

In this work, we have designed a novel Si based 1-dimensional high contrast meta-structure waveguide that has slow light effect as well as phase tunability using p-n junction. The goal is to use such waveguide to design active optical devices such as high frequency modulators and tunable filters for analog RF-photonics or data communication applications. The Si ridge waveguide has a pair of high contrast grating wings adhered to the waveguide core in the center. Grating bars at two sides of the waveguide are doped P and N-type respectively, while a p-n junction region is formed in the middle of the waveguide core. By applying a voltage to bias the p-n junction, one can sweep the free carriers to change the effective index of the waveguide as well as the dispersion property of the grating. This metastructure Si waveguide is ideal in the design of high frequency optical modulators since the slow light effect can reduce the modulator waveguide length, increase the modulation efficiency as well as compensate other nonlinearity factors of the modulator for analog applications.