Mode multi/demultiplexer based on cascaded asymmetric Y-junctions

A mode-(de) multiplexer with low loss and large spectral bandwidth is proposed. The device is designed by utilizing a structure with cascaded asymmetric Y-junctions. By carefully controlling the widths of the wide and narrow arms of the Y-junctions, the fundamental mode of a narrow arm excites the higher-order mode of its stem in the multiplexing case, and a high-order mode of the stem separated from other lower-order modes evolves into the fundamental mode of the narrow arm in the demultiplexing case. As an example, a 1 x 4 mode-(de)multiplexer is analyzed by using the beam propagation method. Simulation results show the demultiplexed crosstalk is lower than -21.8 dB, under a common spectral bandwidth of 140 nm. The insertion loss is negligible. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America