Silicon Photonic Waveguides and Devices for Near- and Mid-IR Applications

TLDR

Silicon photonics has gained momentum due to its telecom and datacom potential, and recent interest has focused on its use for mid‑IR sensing. The paper presents recent results on waveguide‑based devices for near‑ and mid‑infrared applications. The authors employ silicon‑on‑insulator waveguides up to 4 µm and develop alternative solutions for longer wavelengths. The study demonstrates passive silicon devices—couplers, filters, and multiplexers—for extended wavelengths and integrates photonics with electronics for high‑speed operation.

Abstract

Silicon photonics has been a very buoyant research field in the last several years mainly because of its potential for telecom and datacom applications. However, prospects of using silicon photonics for sensing in the mid-IR have also attracted interest lately. In this paper, we present our recent results on waveguide-based devices for near- and mid-infrared applications. The silicon-on-insulator platform can be used for wavelengths up to 4 μm; therefore, different solutions are needed for longer wavelengths. We show results on passive Si devices such as couplers, filters, and multiplexers, particularly for extended wavelength regions and finally present integration of photonics and electronics integrated circuits for high-speed applications.