Design and simulation of devices for integrated optics applications

Silicon photonics provides a convenient platform for the development of future highly integrated optics systems due to the high index of refraction and maturity of manufacturing techniques. In order to fully realize the benefits of integrated optics, components such as optical filters, waveguides, and high-speed modulators need to be developed. The design and simulation of optical modulators that can be fabricated using standard CMOS processing techniques is the focus of this work. Device designs considered include both resonant cavity and microring resonator modulators. Electro-optic polymers have been considered as a method of achieving the high-speed response that will be necessary for future integrated optics applications. The design and simulation of a novel resonant cavity optical modulator incorporating a hybrid silicon/electro-optic polymer slot waveguide structure is investigated. Microring modulator designs have also been modeled. Simulation results show that these devices can simultaneously attain a large modulation depth, small device dimensions and a low drive voltage, all of which are expected to be necessary for future high speed integrated optics devices.;The high operating frequency and complex nature of the structures lead to a need for full 3D simulations in order to obtain accurate propagation characteristics, particularly concerning scattering losses. However, 3D simulations are very computationally expensive, especially during design optimization. Therefore, the periodicity of the devices has been exploited to allow matrix approaches to be employed to reduce the necessary computational resources required for accurate simulation of the propagation characteristics. This dramatically reduces the necessary computational costs, and allows for fast design optimization as well. The designs and fabrication processes of the modulators investigated in this work have been chosen to allow for the majority of the fabrication to be completed before the electro-optic polymer is introduced into the process, which enables the use of well-established CMOS processing techniques, and should accelerate the transition to hybrid silicon/electro-optic polymer devices in future integrated optics applications.