Low loss silicon waveguides for the mid-infrared

Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) has been used as a platform for near-infrared photonic devices for more than twenty years. Longer wavelengths, however, may be problematic for SOI due to higher absorption loss in silicon dioxide. In this paper we report propagation loss measurements for the longest wavelength used so far on SOI platform. We show that propagation losses of 0.6-0.7 dB/cm can be achieved at a wavelength of 3.39 mu m. We also report propagation loss measurements for silicon on porous silicon (SiPSi) waveguides at the same wavelength. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America