title: Ultracompact splitter for submicrometer silicon-on-insulator rib waveguides.
abstract: An ultracompact and efficient 1 x 2 splitter for submicrometer silicon-on-insulator rib waveguides using a star coupler is reported. The structure proposed here is decidedly smaller than the usual splitters such as multi-mode interference or Y-branch devices and much less sensitive to technological fluctuations. Design of the compact splitter is optimized at lambda = 1.31 microm with the effective-index method and a two-dimensional beam-propagation method. The excess losses are lower than 0.15 dB, and the dependence of the losses on wavelength between 1.23 and 1.63 microm is almost flat (variation less than 0.04 dB), which makes the device very interesting for coarse wavelength-division multiplexing applications within the silicon photonic technology.
authors.affiliation: Institut d'Electronique Fondamentale, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8622, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris-Sud, F91405 Orsay, France. alain.koster@ief.u-psud.fr
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koster
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cassan
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laval
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vivien
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pascal