Silicon integrated multi-mode ring resonator

Ring resonator is an essential element in silicon integrated circuit, it is widely used as filter, wavelength multiplexer and switch in single-mode operation regime. As the rapid development of mode division multiplexing (MDM) technique, ring resonator that can process multimode signals simultaneously and uniformly is highly desired. However, the severe modal dispersion makes identical transmission for different modes very hard. In this paper, by breaking through the limitation of conventional multi-mode manipulation design with evanescent coupling or mode interference, we propose and demonstrate a multi-mode ring resonator (MMRR) inspired by the free space geometric optics. Arbitrary number of supporting modes can be achieved by simply widening the waveguide width. For proof-of-concept demonstration, an MMRR supporting four modes is fabricated with uniform transmittance. Furthermore, architecture of cascaded four MMRRs are also demonstrated experimentally.

Automated summary

The ring resonator is widely used as a filter, wavelength multiplexer and switch in silicon integrated circuits. Challenges arise in designing a ring resonator that can handle multimode signals simultaneously and maintain uniform transmission due to severe modal dispersion. This paper proposes and demonstrates a multi-mode ring resonator (MMRR) inspired by free space geometric optics, allowing arbitrary supporting modes and uniform transmittance, with experimental validation of a four-mode MMRR and cascaded MMRR structures.