UC San Diego

Resonant devices are an integral component of the integrated silicon photonics platform, with applications in filters, switches, modulators, delays, sensors etc. High index contrast SOI waveguides can be used to form compact micro-ring resonators with bend radii on the order of micro-meters. This work describes the application of micro-ring resonators in linear and nonlinear silicon photonics. We describe the use of higher-order coupled resonators for use as ultra-high contrast pass-band filters with close to 100 dB extinction. Using the spontaneous four-wave mixing process, a third-order nonlinear Kerr effect, coupled resonator waveguides are shown to be a useful source of heralded single photons, as well as other unique quantum states of light. We also describe four-wave mixing results in silicon micro- resonators, where nonlinear loss effects are mitigated by reverse biased p-i-n diodes, showing potential for high- speed optical signal processing