Polarization-independent silica-on-silicon Mach-Zehnder interferometers

The birefringence induced by compressive strain in silica waveguides on silicon substrates is compensated with a silicon nitride patch placed below the core. We demonstrate Mach-Zehnder interferometers with polarization-independent spectral response, including a compensated Mach-Zehnder interferometer suitable for stabilization of multiple laser sources in a dense wavelength division multiplexed fiber optic communication network. Furthermore, we show how silicon nitride can also be used to compensate polarization dependent losses. Polarization independence achieved with a silicon nitride patch is applicable to a wide variety of other devices such as arrayed waveguide grating multiplexers and Bragg reflectors