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On-chip silicon polarization and mode handling devices

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Abstract

Mode- and polarization-division multiplexing are new promising options to increase the transmission capacity of optical communications. On-chip silicon polarization and mode handling devices are key components in integrated mode- and polarization-division multiplexed photonic circuits. In this paper, we review our recent progresses on silicon-based polarization beam splitters, polarization splitters and rotators, mode (de) multiplexers, and mode and polarization selective switches. Silicon polarization beam splitters and rotators are demonstrated with high extinction ratio, compact footprint and high fabrication tolerance. For on-chip mode multiplexing, we introduce a low loss and fabrication tolerant three-mode (de)multiplexer employing sub-wavelength grating structure. In analogy to a conventional wavelength selective switch in wavelength-division multiplexing, we demonstrate a selective switch that can route mode- and polarization-multiplexed signals.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Prof. Richard Soref, Prof. Xiaoqing Jiang, Prof. Jianyi Yang, and Prof. Christine Tremblay et al. for their helpful discussion and contributions. This work was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant Nos. 61605112, 61235007, 61505104), in part by the 863 High-Tech Program (No. 2015AA017001), and in part by the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (Nos. 15ZR1422800, 16XD1401400). We thank the Center for Advanced Electronic Materials and Devices (AEMD) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University for the support in device fabrications.

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Correspondence to Yikai Su.

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Yong Zhang received the B.S. degree from Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, China in 2010, and the Ph.D. degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China, in 2015. He joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, as an assistant professor in July 2015. His research interests include silicon photonics devices, polarization and mode devices, microcavity devices, e-beam lithography and ICP etching process. Dr. Zhang has published over 40 journal and conference papers, including Optics Letters, Optics Express, APL Photonics, and OFC/ ECOC/CLEO conferences and etc. Dr. Zhang served as an editorial board member of Laser Research & Applications (2017–), a guest editor of Science China Information Sciences (2017), and a guest editor of International Journal of Optics (2017). He was the treasurer (2017–) and the secretary (2016–2017) of IEEE Photonics Society Shanghai chapter. He also served as a TPC member of international conferences including SOPO (2017) and IWWCN (2017). Dr. Zhang is a member of IEEE and OSA.

Yu He received the B.S. degree from Nankai University, Tianjin, China, in 2015. He is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. His research interests include silicon photonics devices and circuit, polarization handling devices and wavelength/mode multiplexing devices.

Qingming Zhu received the B.S. degree from Southeast University, Nanjing, China, in 2015. He is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. His current research interests include silicon microring switch and high-speed transmission system.

Xinhong Jiang received the B.S. and M.S. degrees from Anhui University, Hefei, China, in 2009 and 2012, respectively. He is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. His current research interests include silicon photonics, optical filters and switches.

Xuhan Guo (M’17) received the B.S. degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China in 2009 and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, in 2014. He has worked as a Research Associate in University of Cambridge until 2017, then he moved to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, where he is currently Associate Professor of Photonics. He is the author or co-author of more than 30 publications. His current research interests include hybrid silicon lasers, silicon photonics devices and circuit, PON. He also serves as a TPC member of a number of international conferences including ECOC (2018–), CLEO Pacific Rim (2018–), IEEE GLOBECOM (2016–2017), ECIO (2010), the secretary (2018–) of IEEE Photonics Society Shanghai chapter. Dr. Guo is a member of IEEE and a member of OSA.

Ciyuan Qiu received the B.S. and M.S. degrees from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in 2005 and 2007, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree from Rice University, Houston, TX, USA, in 2013. He then worked as Postdoc at Rice University until June 2014. He is currently an associate professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. His current research interests include silicon photonics devices and circuits, graphene optics, and plasmonics. He has been the author or coauthor of more than 60 journal articles and conference papers, such as Nano Letters, Scientific Reports, Optics Letters, and Optics Express. He is the vice president of IEEE Photonics Society Shanghai chapter. He also served as a TPC member of international conferences including ICOCN (2015) and OECC (2015, 2018).

Yikai Su (S’97–M’01–SM’07) received the B.S. degree from the Hefei University of Technology, China, in 1991, the M.S. degree from the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA), China, in 1994, and the Ph.D. degree in EE from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA in 2001. He worked at Crawford Hill Laboratory of Bell Laboratories before he joined the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, as a Full Professor in 2004. His research areas cover silicon photonic devices for information transmission and switching. He has over 300 publications in international journals and conferences, with more than 2100 citations (Scopus search). He holds 6 US patents and ~50 Chinese patents.

Prof. Su served as an advisory board member of Advanced Optical Materials and Advanced Materials Technologies (2015–), an associate editor of APL Photonics (2016–2018) and Photonics Research (2013–2016), a topical editor of Optics Letters (2008–2014), a guest editor of IEEE JSTQE (2008/2011), and a feature editor of Applied Optics (2008). He is the chair of IEEE Photonics Society Shanghai chapter, a general co-chair of ACP 2012, a TPC co-chair of ACP 2011 and APCC 2009. He also served as a TPC member of a large number of international conferences including CLEO (2016–), ECOC (2013–2016), OFC (2011–2013), OECC 2008, CLEO-PR 2007, and LEOS (2005–2007). Prof. Su is a senior member of IEEE and a member of OSA.

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Zhang, Y., He, Y., Zhu, Q. et al. On-chip silicon polarization and mode handling devices. Front. Optoelectron. 11, 77–91 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12200-018-0772-6

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