Abstract
Owing to recent progress in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology for
signal processing of optical pulses, a detailed intuitive understanding of
the different processes governing pulse propagation through SOI waveguides
is desired. Even though it is possible to carry out numerical simulations to
characterize device performance by varying material and pulse parameters,
such an approach does not provide an intuitive understanding. For this
reason, we develop an analytic approach in this paper and present
approximate solutions that are valid under realistic conditions and
characterize with reasonable accuracy the dynamical evolution of a short
optical pulse through SOI waveguides. Our analytical expressions take into
account linear losses, Kerr nonlinearity, two-photon absorption, and
free-carrier effects (both absorptive and dispersive) and thus are likely to
be useful for a variety of applications in the area of silicon photonics.
Even though free-carrier absorption is included, we limit our analysis to
the case where its influence on the temporal pulse shape is minimal. To
provide a comprehensive understanding of our results and to validate their
accuracy, we consider general properties of our analytical solutions,
analyze their applicability in different parametric ranges relevant for
applications, and compare them with published results. We envision utilizing
these results in optimizing the design of SOI-based devices aimed at
integrated optics applications.
© 2009 IEEE
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