English

Broadband three-mode converter and multiplexer based on cascaded symmetric Y-junctions and subwavelength engineered MMI and phase shifters

Optics 2023-05-17 v1

Abstract

Mode-division multiplexing has emerged as a promising route for increasing transmission capacity while maintaining the same level of on-chip integration. Despite the large number of on-chip mode converters and multiplexers reported for the silicon-on-insulator platform, scaling the number of multiplexed modes is still a critical challenge. In this paper, we present a novel three-mode architecture based on multimode interference couplers, passive phase shifters and cascaded symmetric Y-junctions. This architecture can readily operate up to the third-order mode by including a single switchable phase shifter. Moreover, we exploit subwavelength grating metamaterials to overcome bandwidth limitations of multimode interference couplers and phase shifters, resulting in a simulated bandwidth of 161 nm with insertion loss and crosstalk below 1.18 dB and -20 dB, respectively.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2301.11613,
  title  = {Broadband three-mode converter and multiplexer based on cascaded symmetric Y-junctions and subwavelength engineered MMI and phase shifters},
  author = {David González-Andrade and Irene Olivares and Raquel Fernández de Cabo and Jaime Vilas and Antonio Dias and Aitor V. Velasco},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2301.11613},
  year   = {2023}
}