GexSi1-x optical directional coupler

Abstract

Historically, GaAs- and InP-based compounds have been the dominant materials for optoelectronic devices, whereas Si has been the material of choice in the commercial electronics industry because of its ease of handling, ease of processing, and low manufacturing costs. For this reason, hybrid techniques have frequently been used to combine optoelectronic devices and electronic circuits. Since this can be costly, there has been a concentrated effort to develop III-V compound optoelectronic integrated circuits.1 A promising alternative involves the use of Ge x Si1- x layers, grown on Si substrates, to develop a wide range of Si-based optoelectronic devices and circuits. An initial step in this direction is the fabrication of waveguide structures in Ge x Si1- x layers, grown on Si substrates, to develop a wide range of Si-based optoelectronic devices and circuits. An initial step in this direction is the fabrication of waveguide structures in Ge x Si1- x .2-4 In this paper, we report, for the first time, the fabrication and characterization of Ge x Si1- x directional couplers.