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Polarization-Multiplexed Multimode Routing via Subwavelength Pixelated Metastructures
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DOI：10.1109/JLT.2026.3671045.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Mode multiplexing can exponentially increase communication capacity density within limited chip area, serving as a key technology for scalable, high-density on-chip optical interconnection networks under physical space constraints. However, the inherent birefringence effect caused by the high refractive index contrast of silicon waveguides leads to polarization-dependent phase mismatch in waveguide modes. This phenomenon restricts the cooperative control of polarization and mode multiplexing, causing modal distortion and polarization-dependent losses at critical routing nodes such as splitters, crossings and bends, thereby hindering the interconnection of multi-dimensional mode-multiplexed channels and system integration. Here, we propose a polarization-multiplexed multimode channel routing scheme based on subwavelength pixelated metastructures. Through cross-scale regulation of subwavelength pixel structures, we achieve precise reconstruction of local effective refractive index distribution, successfully compensating for polarization-dependent phase mismatch caused by birefringence. This scheme realizes synchronous phase modulation and parallel transmission of four modes under TE/TM dual polarization states at micro-nano scale. As theoretical verification, the polarization-multiplexed channel achieves low-loss beam splitting (<1.71 dB), high-isolation cross transmission (>15 dB) and low-loss bending (<0.268 dB/90°), as well as integrated arbitrary-routing photonic links. Further experiments successfully transmit 9.6 Tbit/s QPSK signals with bit error rate <10<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-5</sup> at received optical power of −18.5 dBm, demonstrating polarization orthogonality between signals. These results indicate that the subwavelength pixel superstructure, by virtue of its excellent high-precision phase modulation capability and low-loss polarization-independent transmission characteristics, enables flexible control of optical field modes and polarization states. This scheme provides a multidimensional multiplexing solution with high integration density and low transmission loss for integrated photonics.
Keywords:
Channel routing
inverse design
on-chip communication
polarization-multiplexed
Journal
IF:
4.8
Papers:
1.7W
Citations:
3.8W
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