Group velocity dispersion and self phase modulation in silicon nitride waveguides

Abstract

The group velocity dispersion (GVD) of silicon nitride waveguides, prepared using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, is studied and characterized experimentally in support of nonlinear optics applications. We show that the dispersion may be engineered by varying the geometry of the waveguide and demonstrate measured anomalous GVD values as high as −0.57 ps2/m and normal GVD values as high as 0.86 ps2/m. We also experimentally demonstrate the absence of any observed nonlinear loss at the telecommunications wavelength at peak intensities of up to 12 GW/cm2. Spectral broadening due to self phase modulation in silicon nitride waveguides with a nonlinear parameter of 1.4 W−1/m is also demonstrated.

New CMOS-compatible platforms based on silicon nitride and Hydex for nonlinear optics

“…Nonlinear parameters for CMOS compatible optical platforms a-Si [127] c-Si [2,47] SiN [55][56][57] Hydex [63,76] [55,56]. The nanowire dimensions are 500nm thick by 1 µm wide.…”

“…b) Figure 2. Integrated OPO multiple wavelength sources in Hydex (a-d) [56] and SiN [55] (fh) ring resonators.…”

“…This review focuses on new platforms recently introduced [55][56][57][58][59] for nonlinear optics that have achieved considerable success and that also offer CMOS compatibility. They are based on silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) and high-index doped silica (trade-named Hydex).…”

Development of Chip-Based Frequency Combs for Spectral and Timing Applications

“…Engineering the dispersion of microresonators is essential for efficient generation of the cascaded OPO spectrum beyond an octave. With the typical cross-section of the microresonators ranging around optical wavelengths, the waveguide dispersion dominates over material dispersion, providing an essential design tool for broadband dispersion engineering [22][23][24]. For example, the normal dispersion introduced by the material can be compensated by the waveguide dispersion designed to be anomalous, so that the total chromatic dispersion can be kept near zero or slightly anomalous depending on the waveguide width for a given height.…”

Nonlinear Group IV photonics based on silicon and germanium: from near-infrared to mid-infrared

“…It is noted that both the desired nonlinear effect and TPA are accumulative over a certain distance, so if one can engineer chromatic dispersion to make the desired nonlinear effect more efficient, the negative influence of TPA can be mitigated [60,108]. One can also use silicon nitride [111][112][113][114][115] to eliminate TPA or even three photon absorption (3PA) for a pumping wavelength in the near-IR, because silicon nitride has a bandgap energy of ~5.3 eV [113].…”