Ultra-low-loss Silica-based Planar Waveguides

In order to meet the increasing technological demands of many photonic applications with integration, the performance advantages of optical fiber must be brought to the chip scale. In particular, communication network filters, rotational velocity sensors, optical buffers, true-time-delay beam-steering networks, and other applications requiring long propagation distances and high-Q resonators can benefit from ultra-low propagation loss. At UCSB, we utilize planar silica waveguide technology to achieve record-low propagation loss in the bend radius regime shown in the figure.

Ultra-low-loss silica-based planar waveguides with millimeter bend radius are demonstrated at UCSB

Associated publications:

"Ultra-low-loss high-aspect-ratio Si3N4 waveguides," Jared F. Bauters, Martijn J. R. Heck, Demis John, Daoxin Dai, Ming-Chun Tien, Jonathon S. Barton, Arne Leinse, Rene G. Heideman, Daniel J. Blumenthal, and John E. Bowers, Optics Express, Vol. 19, Iss. 4, pp. 3163–3174, February 14, (2011).

"Ultra-low loss Si3N4 waveguides with low nonlinearity and high power handling capability," Ming-Chun Tien, Jared F. Bauters, Martijn J. R. Heck, Daniel J. Blumenthal and , Optics Express, Vol. 18, Issue 23, pp. 23562-23568, October 26, (2010).

"Ultra-low Loss Silica-based Waveguides with Millimeter Bend Radius," Jared F. Bauters, Martijn J. R. Heck, Demis John, Ming-Chun Tien, Arne Leinse, Rene G. Heideman, Daniel J. Blumenthal, and John E. Bowers, ECOC 2010, NA, September 22, (2010).