Monolithic integrated wavelength demultiplexer based on a waveguide Rowland circle grating in InGaAsP/lnP

We present detailed modeling and experimental results for an improved design of an InGaAsP-InP wavelength demultiplexer based on a monolithically integrated Rowland circle grating. The design incorporated ten wavelength channels at 1.55 μm with a uniform spacing of 2 nm. The total on-chip loss was about 10 dB and the crosstalk between adjacent channels was as low as -25 dB. It was shown that low-loss etched turning mirrors can reduce the total on-chip loss by about 4 dB compared to traditional 90° curved multimode waveguides. By replacing standard flat grating facets with retro-reflecting V-shaped facets in the echelle grating, the loss was further reduced by 4 dB. Polarization independent operation within a passband of 0.5 nm was achieved by using multimode output waveguides. The potential sources producing the crosstalk have been analyzed and fabrication modifications for further improvement are suggested