Micro Photonics

Institude of Integrated Mircosystems Funded Project

Project Title:

Photonic CMOS Integrated Micro Systems for DWDM Optical Communications

Principal Investigator:

Prof Andrew Wing On POON, Department of Electrical Engineering, HKUST

Project Duration:

Jul 1, 2002 to Dec 31, 2004

Project Summary:

Dense Wavelength Devision Multiplexing (DWDM) is the most promising technology to supply the huge bandwidth demand for the Internet. In DWDM, multiple optical signals are combined in a single fiber by transmitting each signal at different wavelength. The network capacity is therefore scaled with the number of wavelength channels. A major challenge for DWDM is to optically switch the different wavelength channels at the network node without employing bandwidth-limiting optical-to-electrical-to-optical (OEO) conversions.

This project investigated active micro photonic integrated circuits that are tunable, leveraging on the microelectronics silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS technology. We designed, modelled and fabricated compact integrated photonic DWDM channel-drop filters using passive optical micro-resonators. SOI micro-ring and micro-disk resonators coupled with sub-micron waveguides has been demonstrated. We also designed and fabricated SOI integrated optical switches and modulators using active electro-optically tunable optical micro-resonators.

Research Output:

Publication

C.Li and A.W. Poon, “Experimental demonstration of waveguide-coupled round-corner octagonal microresonators in silicon nitride,” Optics Letters 30, Mar. 2005(in print)

C.Y.Fong and A.W. Poon, “Planar corner-cut square microcavities: ray optics and FDTD analysis,” Optics Express 12, pp.4864-4874, Oct. 2004

Student trained

Chao LI (3rd yr PhD student)

Chung Yan FONG (MPhil Aug. 2004)

Linjie ZHOU (2nd yr PhD student)

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