I-Wei Hsieh

Engineering nonlinearities in nanoscale optical systems: physics and applications in dispersion-engineered silicon nanophotonic wires

The nonlinear optics of Si photonic wires is discussed. The distinctive features of these waveguides are that they have extremely large third-order susceptibility χ(3) and dispersive properties. The strong dispersion and large third-order nonlinearity in Si photonic wires cause the linear and nonlinear optical physics in these guides to be intimately linked. By carefully choosing the waveguide dimensions, both linear and nonlinear optical properties of Si wires can be engineered. We review the fundamental optical physics and emerging applications for these Si wires. In many cases, the relatively low threshold powers for nonlinear optical effects in these wires make them potential candidates for functional on-chip nonlinear optical devices of just a few millimeters in length; conversely, the absence of nonlinear optical impairment is important for the use of Si wires in on-chip interconnects. In addition, the characteristic length scales of linear and nonlinear optical effects in Si wires are markedly different from those in commonly used optical guiding systems, such as optical fibers or photonic crystal fibers, and therefore guiding structures based on Si wires represent ideal optical media for investigating new and intriguing physical phenomena.

Ultrahigh-Bandwidth Silicon Photonic Nanowire Waveguides for On-Chip Networks

An investigation of signal integrity in silicon photonic nanowire waveguides is performed for wavelength-division-multiplexed optical signals. First, we demonstrate the feasibility of ultrahigh-bandwidth integrated photonic networks by transmitting a 1.28-Tb/s data stream (32 wavelengths times 40-Gb/s) through a 5-cm-long silicon wire. Next, the crosstalk induced in the highly confined waveguide is evaluated, while varying the number of wavelength channels, with bit-error-rate measurements at 10 Gb/s per channel. The power penalty of a 24-channel signal is 3.3 dB, while the power penalty of a single-channel signal is 0.6 dB. Finally, single-channel power penalty measurements are taken over a wide range of input powers and indicate negligible change for launch powers of up to 7 dBm.

Ultrafast-pulse self-phase modulation and third-order dispersion in Si photonic wire-waveguides

By propagating femtosecond pulses inside submicron-crosssection Si photonic-wire waveguides with anomalous dispersion, we demonstrate that the pulse-propagation dynamics is strongly influenced by the combined action of optical nonlinearity and up to third-order dispersion with minimal carrier effects. Because of strong light confinement, a nonlinear phase shift of a few pi due to self-phase modulation is observed at a pulse peak-power of just ~250 mW. We also observe soliton-emitted radiation, fully supported by theoretical analysis, from which we determine directly the third-order dispersion coefficient, beta(3) = -0.73 +/- 0.05 ps(3)/m at 1537 nm.

Cross-phase modulation-induced spectral and temporal effects on co-propagating femtosecond pulses in silicon photonic wires.

By performing time-resolved experiments and power-dependent measurements using femtosecond pulses inside submicron cross-section Si photonic-wire waveguides, we demonstrate strong cross-phase modulation (XPM) effects. We find that XPM in Si wires can be significant even for low peak pump powers, i.e., ~15 mW for pi phase shift. Our experimental data closely match numerical simulations using a rigorous coupled-wave theoretical treatment. Our results suggest that XPM is a potentially useful approach for all-optical control of photonic devices in Si wires.

Nonlinear-optical phase modification in dispersion-engineered Si photonic wires

The strong dispersion and large third-order nonlinearity in Si photonic wires are intimately linked in the optical physics needed for the optical control of phase. By carefully choosing the waveguide dimensions, both linear and nonlinear optical properties of Si wires can be engineered. In this paper we provide a review of the control of phase using nonlinear-optical effects such as self-phase and cross-phase modulation in dispersion-engineered Si wires. The low threshold powers for phase-changing effects in Si-wires make them potential candidates for functional nonlinear optical devices of just a few millimeters in length.

Conformal dielectric overlayers for engineering dispersion and effective nonlinearity of silicon nanophotonic wires

We introduce and study numerically a method for dispersion engineering of Si nanophotonic wires using a thin conformal silicon nitride film deposited around the Si core. Simulations show that this approach may be used to achieve the dispersion characteristics required for broadband, phase-matched, four-wave mixing processes, while simultaneously maintaining strong modal confinement within the Si core for high effective nonlinearity.

Large longitudinal electric fields (Ez) in silicon nanowire waveguides

We demonstrate the presence of strong longitudinal electric fields (E(z)) in silicon nanowire waveguides through numerical computation. These waveguide fields can be engineered through choice of waveguide geometry to exhibit amplitudes as high as 97% that of the dominant transverse field component. We show even larger longitudinal fields created in free space by a terminated waveguide can become the dominant electric field component, and demonstrate E(z) has a large effect on waveguide nonlinearity. We discuss the possibility of controlling the strength and symmetry of E(z) using a dual waveguide design, and show that the resulting longitudinal field is sharply peaked beyond the diffraction limit.

Third-Order Dispersion and Ultrafast-Pulse Propagation in Silicon Wire Waveguides

The dynamics of femtosecond (fs) pulse propagation in dispersion engineered silicon-on-insulator (SOI) photonic wires is investigated numerically. For fs pulses propagating in millimeter-long SOI waveguides, the interplay between nonlinear effects, group velocity dispersion (GVD), and the third-order dispersion (TOD) results in significant pulse reshaping. At the zero-GVD (ZGVD) wavelength, TOD causes strong pulse-shape asymmetry in both the temporal and spectral domains. In addition, in the anomalous GVD region near the ZGVD wavelength, soliton-like pulse dynamics is observed

Demonstration of 300 Gbps Error-Free Transmission of WDM Data Stream in Silicon Photonic Wires

We present the first experimental demonstration of error-free (bit error rates < 10-12) transmission of a 300-Gbps WDM data stream through a 2-cm-long silicon photonic wire using 24 C-band channels, each modulated at 12.5 Gbps.

Ultrahigh-Bandwidth WDM Signal Integrity in Silicon-on-Insulator Nanowire Waveguides

We measure signal degradation from interchannel crosstalk of ultrahigh-bandwidth signals in silicon-on-insulator waveguides, and single-channel power penalty over a range of injection powers. The results validate the suitability of silicon-based nanowire interconnects for broadband WDM networks.