Self Phase Modulation and Cross Phase Modulation in Nonlinear Silicon Waveguides for On-Chip Optical Networks -- A Tutorial

TL;DR

This tutorial explains the principles and significance of self and cross phase modulation in silicon waveguides, highlighting their role in enabling nonlinear optical functionalities for on-chip communication systems.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive, accessible overview of silicon nonlinearities, specifically self and cross phase modulation, with detailed explanations suitable for non-expert readers.

Findings

Detailed description of nonlinear effects in silicon

Fundamental principles of phase modulation in silicon waveguides

Implications for on-chip optical communication systems

Abstract

Silicon is a nonlinear material and optics based on silicon makes use of these nonlinearities to realize various functionalities required for on-chip communications. This article describes foundations of these nonlinearities in silicon at length. Particularly, self phase modulation and cross phase modulation in the context of integrated on-board and on-chip communications are presented. Important published results and principles of working of these nonlinearities are presented in considerable detail for non-expert readers.