Demonstration of ultra-broadband single-mode and single-polarization operation in T-Guides

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates silica-based T-Guides that exhibit ultra-broadband single-mode and single-polarization operation from visible to infrared, with experimental validation of record bandwidth and polarization-dependent loss.

Contribution

It introduces the fabrication and characterization of T-Guides with wideband SMSP properties, showing experimental results that surpass previous limitations.

Findings

Record SMSP window of >1.27 octaves achieved.

Polarization-dependent loss difference of up to 90 dB/cm measured.

Numerical simulations confirm wideband single-mode and single-polarization operation.

Abstract

Silica-based anchored-membrane waveguides (T-Guides) are fabricated and characterized from the visible to infrared with streak imaging. It is numerically shown that the T-Guides can have wideband single-mode and single-polarization (SMSP) properties over a span of 2.6 octaves. Experimentally, a polarization-dependent loss difference of up to 90 dB/cm is measured between orthogonal polarizations, and a record SMSP window of >1.27 octaves is observed, limited only by the available measurement equipment. These measurements make a strong case for T-Guides for SMSP photonics, particularly on high-index materials such as our previous demonstration on silicon.