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Abstract Electromagnetic coupling via an evanescent field or radiative wave is a primary characteristic of light, allowing optical signal/power transfer in a photonic circuit but limiting integration density. A leaky mode, which combines both evanescent field and radiative wave, causes stronger coupling and is thus considered not ideal for dense integration. Here we show that a leaky oscillation with anisotropic perturbation rather can achieve completely zero crosstalk realized by subwavelength grating (SWG) metamaterials. The oscillating fields in the SWGs enable coupling coefficients in each direction to counteract each other, resulting in completely zero crosstalk. We experimentally demonstrate such an extraordinarily low coupling between closely spaced identical leaky SWG waveguides, suppressing the crosstalk by ≈40 dB compared to conventional strip waveguides, corresponding to ≈100 times longer coupling length. This leaky-SWG suppresses the crosstalk of transverse–magnetic (TM) mode, which is challenging due to its low confinement, and marks a novel approach in electromagnetic coupling applicable to other spectral regimes and generic devices.
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Zero crosstalk in anisotropic TM leaky mode with subwavelength grating metamaterials
We show that a TM leaky mode realized by subwavelength gratings (SWGs) can eliminate crosstalk between proximate waveguides. Oscillating fields i n t he SWGs allow coupling coefficient components to counteract each other, resulting in zero crosstalk.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1930784
- PAR ID:
- 10468029
- Publisher / Repository:
- Optica Publishing Group
- Date Published:
- ISBN:
- 978-1-957171-25-8
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- STh4R.7
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- San Jose, CA
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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