Slot Waveguide
An optimal design of a slot waveguide is presented for realizing an ultrafast optical modulator based on a 220 nm silicon wafer technology. The recipe is to maximize the confinement and interaction between optical power supported by the waveguide and electric field applied through metallic electrodes. Slot-waveguides allow light to be guided and strongly confined inside a nanometer-scale region of low refractive index. Thus stronger light-analyte interaction can be obtained as compared to that achievable by a conventional waveguide, in which the propagating beam is confined to the high-refractive-index core of the waveguide. Silicon slot waveguide Bragg gratings have been designed, fabricated and the experimental data has been analyzed for its slow light properties. Slow light with a group index of 12.38 at a.
The model analyses the mode propagation within a nano slot waveguide. In a slot waveguide configuration, two high refractive index slabs (~3.48) are placed adjacent to the low refractive index slot (~1.44). Mode analysis was performed on a 2D cross section of a slot waveguide for an operating wavelength of 1.55[um]. Further analysis was carried out to optimize the width of the slot to deliver maximum optical power and optical intensity through the slot area.
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
Slot Waveguide Modulator
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
Slot Resonator Wall
- COMSOL Multiphysics®and
Slot Waveguide Comsol
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Specification Chart and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.