High-confinement photonic structures for light propagation in the visible range

摘要

Planar integrated photonic devices are typically designed for telecommunications wavelengths in the 1.55 micron range. For strong mode-confinement at these wavelengths, very high index contrasts are required and semiconductor materials are often used for the waveguide core. Recently, planar devices designed for the visible range were demonstrated with relatively large dimensions on the order of 0.5 - 5 mm. Here in contrast we demonstrate micron-size photonic devices with single-mode operation in the visible range. Devices made for light propagation in the visible range are designed for tapping specific wavelengths of light vertically out of the plane of integration. The structures are based on high confinement waveguides with an effective mode size on the order of 0.5 μm~2.