A polarization-insensitive mode-order converting power splitter using a pixelated region is presented and investigated in this paper. As TE₀ and TM₀ modes are injected into the input port, they are converted into TE₁ and TM₁ modes, which evenly come out from the two output ports. The finite-difference time-domain method and direct-binary-search optimization algorithm are utilized to optimize structural parameters of the pixelated region to attain small insertion loss, low crosstalk, wide bandwidth, excellent power uniformity, polarization-insensitive property, and compact size. Experimental results reveal that the insertion loss, crosstalk, and power uniformity of the fabricated device at 1550 nm are 0.57, -19.67, and 0.094 dB in the case of TE polarization, while in the TM polarization, the relevant insertion loss, crosstalk, and power uniformity are 0.57, -19.40, and 0.11 dB. Within a wavelength range from 1520 to 1600 nm, for the fabricated device working at TE polarization, the insertion loss, crosstalk, and power uniformity are lower than 1.39, -17.64, and 0.14 dB. In the case of TM polarization, we achieved an insertion loss, crosstalk, and power uniformity less than 1.23, -17.62, and 0.14 dB.

A flexible-grid 1×(2×3) mode- and wavelength-selective switch which comprises counter-tapered couplers and silicon microring resonators has been proposed, optimized, and demonstrated experimentally in this work. By carefully thermally tuning phase shifters and silicon microring resonators, mode and wavelength signals can be independently and flexibly conveyed to any one of the output ports, and different bandwidths can be generated as desired. The particle swarm optimization algorithm and finite difference time-domain method are employed to optimize structural parameters of the two-mode (de)multiplexer and crossing waveguide. The bandwidth-tunable wavelength-selective optical router composed of 12 microring resonators is studied by taking advantage of the transfer matrix method. Measurement results show that, for the fabricated module, cross talk less than -10.18dB, an extinction ratio larger than 17.41 dB, an in-band ripple lower than 0.79 dB, and a 3-dB bandwidth changing from 0.38 to 1.05 nm are obtained, as the wavelength-channel spacing is 0.40 nm. The corresponding response time is measured to be 13.64 µs.

We propose and demonstrate an ultrasensitive integrated photonic current sensor that incorporates a silicon-based single-mode-multimode-single-mode waveguide (SMSW) structure. This kind of SMSW structure is placed over a direct current carrying power resistor, which produces Joule’s heat to change the temperature of the SMSW and further results in the change of the effective refractive index between different propagating modes. Interference occurs when the modes recombine at the second single mode waveguide. Finally, the current variation is measured by monitoring the shift in the output spectrum of the multimode interferometer. In low current, the wavelength shift has almost linear dependence: Δλ∝Ic. This effect can be used as a current sensor with a slope efficiency of 4.24 nm/A in the range of 0–200 mA.

In this Letter, we study the characteristics of a selectively buried glass waveguide that is fabricated by the backside masking method. The results show that the surface region appears when the width of the backside mask is larger than 7 mm. Here, the glass substrate is 1.5 mm thick. It is also found that the buried depth evolution of the transition region remains almost unchanged and is independent of the width of the backside mask. The loss of the transition region is only 0.28 dB at the wavelength of 1.55 μm if the surface condition is good enough.