Experimental demonstration of a two-mode (de)multiplexer based on a taper-etched directional coupler

We experimentally demonstrate a compact, low-cross talk and fabrication-tolerant two-mode (de)multiplexer on the silicon-on-insulator platform. The device consists of a silicon wire waveguide coupled to a taper-etched waveguide. The partially etched taper structure is used to relax fabrication tolerance and thus to ensure high mode-conversion efficiency. The device is 68 μm in length, with a TE0-to-TE1 mode conversion loss of better than -0.8 dB demonstrated over the C-band wavelengths. In addition, the device demonstrates a low TE0-to-TE0 through waveguide insertion loss of better than -1.3 dB with modal cross talk lower than -26 dB, over a 65 nm wavelength range. Finally, we have experimentally demonstrated that the device is tolerant of fabrication errors of up to 20 nm. Better than -6 dB TE0-TE1 conversion loss with a cross talk lower than -23 dB over a 55 nm bandwidth has been obtained with a fabrication tolerance as large as 40 nm.