Junjia Wang

Subwavelength grating filtering devices

We propose and simulate the characteristics of optical filters based on subwavelength gratings. In particular, we demonstrate through numerical simulations the feasibility of implementing SWG Bragg gratings in silicon-on-insulator (SOI). We also propose SWG ring resonators in SOI and verify their operation using numerical simulations and experiments. The fabricated devices exhibit an extinction ratio as large as 30 dB and a Q-factor as high as ~20,000. These fundamental SWG filters can serve as building blocks for more complex devices.

Subwavelength grating enabled on-chip ultra-compact optical true time delay line

An optical true time delay line (OTTDL) is a basic photonic building block that enables many microwave photonic and optical processing operations. The conventional design for an integrated OTTDL that is based on spatial diversity uses a length-variable waveguide array to create the optical time delays, which can introduce complexities in the integrated circuit design. Here we report the first ever demonstration of an integrated index-variable OTTDL that exploits spatial diversity in an equal length waveguide array. The approach uses subwavelength grating waveguides in silicon-on-insulator (SOI), which enables the realization of OTTDLs having a simple geometry and that occupy a compact chip area. Moreover, compared to conventional wavelength-variable delay lines with a few THz operation bandwidth, our index-variable OTTDL has an extremely broad operation bandwidth practically exceeding several tens of THz, which supports operation for various input optical signals with broad ranges of central wavelength and bandwidth.

Chirped Microwave Pulse Generation Using an Integrated SiP Bragg Grating in a Sagnac Loop

We demonstrate an integrated spectral shaper based on a Sagnac loop incorporating a chirped Bragg grating in silicon photonics for the photonic generation of chirped microwave pulses. The technique is based on optical spectral shaping combined with linear frequency-to-time mapping. By tuning the central wavelength of the input optical pulse, we obtain chirped microwave pulses with central frequencies ranging from ~10 GHz to ~30 GHz and an RF chirp rate of ~20 GHz/ns with both positive and negative signs.

RF-Arbitrary Waveform Generation Based on Microwave Photonic Filtering

We demonstrate RF arbitrary waveform generation based on microwave photonic filtering. We use four-wave mixing in a silicon nanowire to increase the number of taps in an N-tap microwave photonic filter (MPF). Using a programmable optical filter, we can control the tap weights and, hence, the MPF response and corresponding generated waveform. We show uniform and apodized waveforms with four taps and seven taps with tunable central frequencies.

Low crosstalk Bragg grating/Mach-Zehnder interferometer optical add-drop multiplexer in silicon photonics.

We characterize the interferometric crosstalk and system performance of two optical add-drop multiplexer (OADM) designs based on Bragg grating/Mach-Zehnder interferometers implemented in silicon-on-insulator. Both OADM designs exhibit low crosstalk and negligible crosstalk-induced power penalties over their 3 dB bandwidths. The devices are tolerant to wavelength drift and misalignment between the transmitter and OADM; moreover, their designs can be optimized further to enable high performance operation in WDM systems.

Simulations of waveguide Bragg grating filters based on subwavelength grating waveguide

Subwavelength grating waveguides represent a flexible and perspective alternative to standard silicon-on-insulator nanophotonic waveguides. In such structures, waves propagate in the form of Bloch modes, in contrast to standard longitudinally uniform waveguides. Tunability of parameters of subwavelength grating structures possesses a great advantage of a broad variability of the (effective) refractive index and its dispersion, without significantly increasing fabrication complexity. A subwavelength grating structure is based on a (quasi)-periodic arrangement of two different materials, i.e. rectangular nanoblocks of silicon, embedded into a lower-index superstrate, with a period (much) smaller than the operational wavelength of the optical radiation. Clearly, by changing the filling factor, i.e., the duty-cycle of the subwavelength grating structure, its effective refractive index can be varied essentially between that of the superstrate and that of silicon. Our contribution is devoted to a detailed numerical analysis of Bloch modes in subwavelength grating waveguides and Bragg gratings based on subwavelength grating waveguides. Two independent versions of 3D Fourier modal methods developed within last years in our laboratories are used as our standard numerical tools. By comparison with results obtained with a 2D FDTD commercially available method we show that for reliable design of subwavelength grating waveguide devices of this kind, full-vector 3D methods have to be used. It is especially the case of Bragg gratings based on subwavelength grating waveguides, as analyzed in this paper. We discuss two options of a subwavelength grating modulation – designed by changing the subwavelength grating duty cycle, and by misplacement of Si blocks, and compare their properties from the point of view of fabrication feasibility.

Subwavelength grating devices in SOI

We demonstrate subwavelength grating devices in silicon-on-insulator including Bragg gratings, racetrack resonators, and optical delay lines. The Bragg grating filter has a 3 dB bandwidth of 0.5 nm and a reflectivity of 90%; the racetrack resonator has a 3 dB bandwidth of 1 nm, a free spectral range of 4.6 nm, and an extinction ratio as high as 33 dB; the optical delay lines achieve ~30ps time-delay with 30% change in duty-cycle.

Photonic integrated circuits for microwave photonics applications

We propose and demonstrate photonic arbitrary waveform generation based on microwave photonic filtering. We show uniform and apodized waveforms, as well as tuning of the RF spectrum. We discuss how the photonic structure can be fully integrated in silicon photonics.

Recent advancements towards green optical networks

Recent years have seen a rapid growth in demand for ultra high speed data transmission with end users expecting fast, high bandwidth network access. With this rapid growth in demand, data centres are under pressure to provide ever increasing data rates through their networks and at the same time improve the quality of data handling in terms of reduced latency, increased scalability and improved channel speed for users. However as data rates increase, present technology based on well-established CMOS technology is becoming increasingly difficult to scale and consequently data networks are struggling to satisfy current network demand. In this paper the interrelated issues of electronic scalability, power consumption, limited copper interconnect bandwidth and the limited speed of CMOS electronics will be explored alongside the tremendous bandwidth potential of optical fibre based photonic networks. Some applications of photonics to help alleviate the speed and latency in data networks will be discussed.