Realisation of high order optical filters using active multiple coupled microring resonators

• Applicant: Dr.-Ing. Helmut Heidrich
• Subject Area: Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2001 to 2004
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5339738

Monolithically integrated, compact optical filters with steep roll-off and large out-of-band rejection have not been realised so far. Especially in DWDM (Dense wavelength division multiplexing) systems with channel spacing below 100 GHz, filter shapes with steep roll-off characteristic are essential for adequate channel separation. In analogy to electric filters, like Chebyshev, Butterworth filters, it is a challenging task to develop optical filters with corresonding characteristics. Using coupled microring resonators with integrated active gain sections for loss compensation novel compact actice optical filters are planned to be developed in the semiconductor compound material, GalnASP / InP. The spectral characteristics will be synthesised using well matched multiple coupled microring resonators. So as to realise these novel compact optical filters with sidewall roughness of the waveguides of a few nanometers and submicron gap directional coupling elements serious effort will focus on the development of a nanotechnology by using improved photolithography and dry etching technology with accuracies as required in the fabrication of photonic crystals.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants