Flexible integration of free-standing nanowires into silicon photonics

Bigeng Chen, Hao Wu, Chenguang Xin, Daoxin Dai and Limin Tong ()
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Bigeng Chen: Zhejiang University
Hao Wu: Zhejiang University
Chenguang Xin: Zhejiang University
Daoxin Dai: Zhejiang University
Limin Tong: Zhejiang University

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Silicon photonics has been developed successfully with a top-down fabrication technique to enable large-scale photonic integrated circuits with high reproducibility, but is limited intrinsically by the material capability for active or nonlinear applications. On the other hand, free-standing nanowires synthesized via a bottom-up growth present great material diversity and structural uniformity, but precisely assembling free-standing nanowires for on-demand photonic functionality remains a great challenge. Here we report hybrid integration of free-standing nanowires into silicon photonics with high flexibility by coupling free-standing nanowires onto target silicon waveguides that are simultaneously used for precise positioning. Coupling efficiency between a free-standing nanowire and a silicon waveguide is up to ~97% in the telecommunication band. A hybrid nonlinear-free-standing nanowires–silicon waveguides Mach–Zehnder interferometer and a racetrack resonator for significantly enhanced optical modulation are experimentally demonstrated, as well as hybrid active-free-standing nanowires–silicon waveguides circuits for light generation. These results suggest an alternative approach to flexible multifunctional on-chip nanophotonic devices.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00038-0

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