Open AccessMid‐infrared suspended waveguide platform and building blocks
Author(s) -
Sánchez-Postigo Alejandro,
Wangüemert-Pérez Juan Gonzalo,
Soler Penadés Jordi,
Ortega-Moñux Alejandro,
Nedeljkovic Milos,
Halir Robert,
El Mokhtari Mimun Faysal,
Xu Cheng Yolanda,
Qu Zhibo,
Khokhar Ali Z.,
Osman Ahmed,
Cao Wei,
Littlejohns Callum G.,
Cheben Pavel,
Mashanovich Goran Z.,
Molina-Fernández Íñigo
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
iet optoelectronics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.379
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1751-8776
pISSN - 1751-8768
DOI - 10.1049/iet-opt.2018.5067
Subject(s) - cladding (metalworking) , wavelength , fabrication , lithography , materials science , optoelectronics , infrared , metamaterial , silicon , optics , waveguide , photolithography , computer science , silicon photonics , physics , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , metallurgy
In this work, the authors present their recent progress in the development of a platform for the mid‐infrared wavelength range, based on suspended silicon waveguides with subwavelength metamaterial cladding. The platform has some intrinsic advantages, which make it a very promising candidate for sensing applications in the molecular fingerprint region. Specifically, it can cover the full transparency window of silicon (up to a wavelength of 8 μm), only requires one lithographic etch‐step and can be designed for strong light–matter interaction. Design rules, practical aspects of the fabrication process and experimental results of a complete set of elemental building blocks operating at two very different wavelengths, 3.8 and 7.7 μm, are discussed. Propagation losses as low as 0.82 dB/cm at λ 0 = 3.8 μm and 3.1 dB/cm at λ 0 = 7.7 μm are attained for the interconnecting waveguides.