Nonlinear silicon-on-insulator waveguides for all-optical signal processing

Abstract

Values up to γ= 7 × 10⁶/(Wkm) for the nonlinear parameter are feasible if silicon-on-insulator based strip and slot waveguides are properly designed. This is more than three orders of magnitude larger than for state-of-the-art highly nonlinear fibers, and it enables ultrafast all-optical signal processing with nonresonant compact devices. At λ = 1.55μm we provide universal design curves for strip and slot waveguides which are covered with different linear and nonlinear materials, and we calculate the resulting maximum γ.