GeAsSeTe/GeAsSe Pedestal Waveguides for Long-Wave Infrared Tunable on-Chip Spectroscopy

A dry-etched pedestal chalcogenide waveguide platform, designed for use in long-wave IR spectrometer applications, is demonstrated, fabricated and optically characterized. The optical layers were deposited on pre-patterned dry-etched silicon pedestals. An exceptionally low waveguide propagation loss was measured, at around 0.1 dB/cm at lambda = 10 mu m. The modal thermo-optic coefficient of the waveguide was experimentally estimated to be approximately 1.1 x 10-4 C-1 at lambda = 1.63 mu m, which is comparable to that of Si and GaAs. Waveguide spiral interferometers were fabricated, proving the potential for realization of more complex, chalcogenide-based, integrated photonic circuits. The combination of low propagation losses and a strong thermo-optic coefficient makes this platform an ideal candidate for utilization in on-chip tunable spectrometers in the long-wave IR wavelength band.