Directional couplers are a cornerstone of integrated photonics, yet they remain remarkably difficult to simulate accurately, with numerical predictions often deviating from experimental results by up to 40%.
In our work, we identified microscopic voids and density variations within the oxide cladding as a key source of these discrepancies, as they substantially modify the device’s optical properties.
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To address this, we developed the Effective Trench Medium Model (ETMM), a refined physical framework that captures these subtle imperfections, bridging the gap between simulation and experiment and enabling high-fidelity, predictive design of directional couplers.
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Relevant Publication:
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Yuval Warshavsky, Yehonathan Drori, Jonatan Piasetzky, Amit Rotem, Ofer Shapiro, Yaron Oz, Haim Suchowski, "Accurate Modeling of Directional Couplers with Oxide Cladding: Bridging Simulation and Experiment", Journal of Lightwave Technology 43, 7233 – 7238 (2025). Link: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11007475