Polarization-Independent Wavelength Conversion Using an Angled-Polarization Pump in a Silicon Nanowire Waveguide

• A proposal for polarization-independent wavelength conversion is presented based on four-wave mixing in a silicon nanowire waveguide using an angled-polarization pump. The principle of polarization independence is introduced and the theoretical model is established. The optimized incident pump polarization angle is obtained for different waveguide geometries, and a polarization-independent bandwidth of 64 nm is achieved with the efficiency fluctuation of less than 1 dB in a 285 nm x 650 nm silicon waveguide. The polarization-independent bandwidth is limited by the larger one of the TE- and TM-mode phase mismatches, and can be enhanced further by carefully tailoring the dispersion characteristics of the silicon nanowire waveguide.

Keyword

Nonlinear optics

optical frequency conversion

optical mixing

optical

planar waveguides

silicon on insulator technology

frequency-conversion

raman amplification

fiber

dispersion

chip

efficiency

design

light

laser

gain

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)