Ultra-wideband Ge-rich silicon germanium integrated Mach–Zehnder interferometer for mid-infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

This Letter explores the use of Ge-rich Si_0.2Ge_0.8 waveguides on graded Si_1-xGe_x substrate for the demonstration of ultra-wideband photonic integrated circuits in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) wavelength range. We designed, fabricated, and characterized broadband Mach-Zehnder interferometers fully covering a range of 3 μm in the mid-IR band. The fabricated devices operate indistinctly in quasi-TE and quasi-TM polarizations, and have an extinction ratio higher than 10 dB over the entire operating wavelength range. The obtained results are in good correlation with theoretical predictions, while numerical simulations indicate that the device bandwidth can reach one octave with low additional losses. This Letter paves the way for further realization of mid-IR integrated spectrometers using low-index-contrast Si_1-xGe_x waveguides with high germanium concentration.