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Low-loss silicon wire waveguides for optical integrated circuits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 January 2016

Tsuyoshi Horikawa ,
Daisuke Shimura  and
Tohru Mogami
Tsuyoshi Horikawa*
Affiliation:
Photonics Electronics Technology Research Association (PETRA), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8569, Japan National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8569, Japan
Daisuke Shimura
Affiliation:
Photonics Electronics Technology Research Association (PETRA), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8569, Japan
Tohru Mogami
Affiliation:
Photonics Electronics Technology Research Association (PETRA), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8569, Japan
*
* Address all correspondence to Tsuyoshi Horikawa at[email protected]
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Abstract

Low-propagation-loss silicon wire waveguides are key components of optical integrated circuits. In this paper, we clarified, through assessment of the relationship between waveguide loss and fabrication technology that high-resolution lithography and an adjusted lithography process window are important for low-loss waveguides. The silicon wire waveguides fabricated by high-resolution lithography technology using ArF immersion lithography process showed world-record low propagation losses of 0.40 dB/cm for the C-band and 1.28 dB/cm for the O-band. Analysis with Barwicz and Haus's theory indicated that sidewall scattering is the main cause of propagation loss even in such low-loss waveguides.

Type
Plasmonics, Photonics, and Metamaterials Research Letters
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 6 , Issue 1 , March 2016 , pp. 9 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2016 

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