Towards a Realistic Modelling of Ultra-Compact Racetrack Resonators

• Published in: Journal of lightwave technology Vol. 28; no. 22; pp. 3233 - 3242
• Main Authors: Masi, Marco, Orobtchouk, Régis, Guofang Fan, Fedeli, Jean-Marc, Pavesi, Lorenzo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 15.11.2010; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Circuit properties; Couplings; Dispersions; Electric, optical and optoelectronic circuits; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Indexes; Insulators; Integrated optics. Optical fibers and wave guides; Mathematical models; Micro-resonators; Modelling; Optical and optoelectronic circuits; Optical device fabrication; optical propagation; Optical resonators; Optical sensors; optical waveguide theory; Optical waveguides; Propagation constant; Resonators; Silicon; Solvers; Waveguides; Integrated optics; Micro-resonators; Waveguide resonator; Compact design; Optical resonator; Optical waveguide theory; Mismatching; Waveguide; Modeling; Silicon on insulator technology; Optical coupler; Radius of curvature; Optical characteristic; optical propagation; Optical waveguide
• ISSN: 0733-8724; 1558-2213
• DOI: 10.1109/JLT.2010.2078797

We discuss all the necessary parameters to describe optical racetrack micro resonators fabricated with silicon on insulator (SOI) technology. We focus on some fundamental aspects crucial for a comprehensive and realistic modelling of racetrack resonators as building blocks of complex add-drop filters, like SCISSOR (Side-Coupled Integrated Spaced-Sequences of Resonators) or CROW (Coupled Resonator Optical Waveguides). When the radius of curvature is lower than 5 μm, and/or the separation gaps between waveguide and resonator is small, dispersion law, effective index mismatch, and mode mismatch between bend and straight waveguides are relevant for modelling. A new mode solver, specifically suited for high index contrast small mode area waveguides, is used whose results are compared with the measurement of the optical response of some resonant devices.