Compact tunable polymer WDM devices for on-chip integration

摘要

The Communications Research Centre Canada is involved in the development of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) photonic technologies for a variety of applications including telecom, datacom and satellite communications. Two key components of this activity are the development of compact and low cost polymer devices for the demultiplexing of optical carriers at 1550 nm [1, 2] and optical signal detection/distribution via integration with optoelectronic devices [3]. Combining these two aspects could lead to compact and low cost multi-wavelength distribution links providing high speed and large bandwidth. At the present time, there are several competing technologies for WDM demux components: glasses, polymers or III-V semiconductors, some of which are already available in the marketplace. Extension of these technologies relies on increased capacity and functionality, as well as improved manufacturability to lower the cost of the components. We demonstrate that polymer waveguide components can offer good optical performance, ruggedness and cost-effective manufacturing allowing excellent potential for monolithic integration with active devices. Issues regarding inter-channel crosstalk, propagation losses, integration flexibility and detection schemes will be discussed, highlighting the potential for high channel count DWDM polymer integrated photonic components.