High performance TM-pass polarizer via subwavelength grating bandgap engineering

Abstract

Silicon photonics systems exhibit a strong birefringence which makes polarization management critical. Here we demonstrate, with full 3D-FDTD simulations, a TM-pass polarizer based on tilted subwavelength gratings that reflects the TE0 mode into the TE1 mode, which can then be easily eliminated. The polarizer achieves TM mode insertion losses below 0.4dB, reflections into the undesired fundamental TE mode of less than -20 dB, and an extinction ratio above 20 dB, over a 150 nm bandwidth around the wavelength of 1550 nm.