Abstract

Optical power splitters are important components in the design of optoelectronic systems and optical communication networks such as Mach-Zehnder mterferometric switches [1], in WDM filters, for flattening the wavelength response [2], ring lasers [3] and Sagnac interferometers [4]. The ease of fabrication, compactness, low-loss, wide bandwidth and low polarization dependence of the Multimode Interference (MMI)-based devices have established them for use in several wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) systems. Deeply etched semiconductor waveguides are more tolerant to fabrication process and less polarization dependent and widely used in the design of multiplexers/demultiplexers, optical modulators and compact bend design. Recently, compact tapered MMI-based 3dB splitters [5], and also another novel ultra-compact that can also be fabricated in photonic gap materials [6], have been proposed, however, this later one is still a new concept and it may take some time fore their commercial implementation, and therefore further investigation of their properties and fabrication tolerances are required. In the present work such tapered MMI-based 3dB splitters have been considered and the access waveguide junction and MMI region propagation losses, the dispersion and wavelength tolerance of the above devices have been examined.

© 2002 Optical Society of America