Polarization properties of two-dimensional slot waveguides

We propose and study slot waveguide geometries where both quasi-TE and quasi-TM modes may propagate highly confined within the same low-index slot region. Conventional horizontal and vertical slot waveguides can only provide high slot confinement for either the quasi-TM or quasi-TE modes, respective...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied optics. Optical technology and biomedical optics 2010-10, Vol.49 (28), p.5321
Main Authors: Khanna, Amit, Säynätjoki, Antti, Tervonen, Ari, Norwood, Robert A, Honkanen, Seppo
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We propose and study slot waveguide geometries where both quasi-TE and quasi-TM modes may propagate highly confined within the same low-index slot region. Conventional horizontal and vertical slot waveguides can only provide high slot confinement for either the quasi-TM or quasi-TE modes, respectively. Different two-dimensional slot waveguide structures are analyzed in terms of their mode characteristics, such as the effective index, the confinement factor, and the overlap of quasi-TE and -TM modes within the slot. Attention is also paid to practical manufacturability. Various waveguide structures can be tailored to have zero birefringence or equal confinement at both polarizations. Values for the confinement factors and the overlap of the two polarizations, in the slot region, can reach 0.4 to 0.5.
ISSN:2155-3165
DOI:10.1364/AO.49.005321