On-Chip Integrated Mid-Infrared GaAs/AlGaAs Mach–Zehnder Interferometer
Authors:
- 6 November 2012
- journal article
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in Analytical Chemistry
- Vol. 85 (6) , 3050-3052
Abstract
We report the design, fabrication, and first functional verification of mid-infrared (MIR; 3–12 μm) Mach–Zehnder interferometers (MZIs). The developed MIR-MZIs are entirely chip-integrated solid-state devices based on GaAs/AlGaAs technology waveguide fabricated via conventional optical lithography and reactive ion etching (RIE). Thus, fabricated MIR-MZIs were combined with a broadly tunable quantum cascade laser (tQCL) providing a wavelength coverage of 5.78–6.35 μm. MIR-MZIs have been designed with a waveguide width of 5 μm to ensure single mode behavior, avoiding optically undefined interference patterns. Several structures with different opening angles of the Y-junction were fabricated and tested for maximizing IR radiation throughput. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the very first chip-integrated mid-infrared Mach–Zehnder structures via interference patterns produced by minute amounts of water deposited at different positions of the MIR-MZI structure.Keywords
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