Mid-infrared integrated photonics on silicon: a perspective

• Main Authors: Lin Hongtao, Luo Zhengqian, Gu Tian, Kimerling Lionel C., Wada Kazumi, Agarwal Anu, Hu Juejun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: De Gruyter 2017-12-01
• Series: Nanophotonics
• Subjects: mid-IR; integrated photonics; silicon photonics; spectrometer; optical sensor
• Online Access: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/nanoph.2018.7.issue-2/nanoph-2017-0085/nanoph-2017-0085.xml?format=INT

The emergence of silicon photonics over the past two decades has established silicon as a preferred substrate platform for photonic integration. While most silicon-based photonic components have so far been realized in the near-infrared (near-IR) telecommunication bands, the mid-infrared (mid-IR, 2–20-μm wavelength) band presents a significant growth opportunity for integrated photonics. In this review, we offer our perspective on the burgeoning field of mid-IR integrated photonics on silicon. A comprehensive survey on the state-of-the-art of key photonic devices such as waveguides, light sources, modulators, and detectors is presented. Furthermore, on-chip spectroscopic chemical sensing is quantitatively analyzed as an example of mid-IR photonic system integration based on these basic building blocks, and the constituent component choices are discussed and contrasted in the context of system performance and integration technologies.