Polarization-dependent multidirectional coupler based on Y-branch silicon waveguide integrated with single optimized catenary antenna

Abstract

The amount of data that needs to be processed is increasing rapidly with the development and innovation of information technology. Nevertheless, the traditional unidirectional transmission device, which is only suitable for serial operation, is slow in processing data and is severely restricted in the field of information processing. In this study, a multidirectional coupler is designed and simulated through the finite-difference time-domain method to improve data computing speed. The coupler consists of a Y-branch silicon waveguide integrated with a single metallic catenary antenna placed on a silicon dioxide substrate. The light flow of the coupler can be coupled to multiple directions by controlling the polarization of the illuminated light. Then, the optical performance of the multidirectional coupler is enhanced via adopting the optimization algorithm to optimize the widths of the catenary. Furthermore, the polarization state of the incident light can be identified by detecting the power output from the ports of the coupler. Therefore, the multidirectional coupler might show enormous application prospects in photonic chips, quantum communication, on-chip information transmission, and processing.

On‐Chip Light–Atom Interactions: Physics and Applications

“…As the basis of integrated optics, optical waveguides have been widely used in miniaturized and integrated on-chip optical systems. [73][74][75][76][77][78] From the perspective of the structure, there are various types of on-chip waveguides, such as rectangular waveguide, [79][80][81] strip waveguide, [82][83][84][85] slot waveguide, [86][87][88] Y-waveguide, [89][90][91][92] ridge waveguide, [93][94][95][96] photonic crystal waveguide, [97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104] and nanowire waveguide. [77,[105][106][107] These structures significantly decrease the size of the devices, increase the density of states, and promote research concentrated on introducing cold atoms or atomic vapor (especially alkali atomic vapor) into the waveguide to achieve enhanced light-matter interactions.…”

Computational hyperspectral devices based on quasi-random metasurface supercells

“…Metasurfaces are ultrathin two-dimensional materials with an exotic ability to flexibly manipulate the amplitude, phase, and polarization of light. [16][17][18][19] They have been applied in the fields of lithography, [20][21][22] achromatic metalens, [23][24][25][26] optical waveguides, 27,28 extraordinary Young's interference, 29,30 and vector light field. [31][32][33] Researchers have been exploring the use of lightweight spectral devices based on metasurfaces as a replacement for bulky traditional spectrometers.…”