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Volume 12
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10.3390/photonics12060549
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Communication

Polarization-Insensitive Silicon Photonic Variable Optical Attenuator

by
Meixin Li
1,
Yuxuan Zhang
1,
Hao Jiang
1,
Haoran Wang
1,
Danni Luo
1,
Jing Yang
2,
Yabin Li
2 and
Zanyun Zhang
1,3,*
1
School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
2
GRG Metrology & Test Co., Ltd., Tianjin 300385, China
3
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Detection Technology and Systems, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Photonics 2025, 12(6), 549; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12060549
Submission received: 24 April 2025 / Revised: 17 May 2025 / Accepted: 26 May 2025 / Published: 29 May 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Silicon Photonics: From Fundamentals to Future Directions)
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Abstract

We propose and demonstrate a polarization-insensitive silicon photonic variable optical attenuator. The designed device uses a two-dimensional apodized grating coupler as a surface-normal coupling interface, which has the advantages of low-cost fiber packaging and polarization insensitivity. For optical attenuation, PIN diodes are inserted into each waveguide to act as optical absorbers. The compact device, featuring a footprint of 250 × 850 μm2, exhibits a fiber-to-fiber insertion loss of 6 dB. Under a 3 V bias voltage, wavelength-dependent attenuation of 18 dB at 1295 nm and 26 dB at 1315 nm is achieved. Systematic characterization across diverse input polarization states confirms polarization-dependent loss below 0.5 dB under arbitrary polarization states, validating the device’s robust polarization insensitivity for wavelength-division multiplexing systems.
Keywords: variable optical attenuator; polarization independent; grating couplers variable optical attenuator; polarization independent; grating couplers

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Li, M.; Zhang, Y.; Jiang, H.; Wang, H.; Luo, D.; Yang, J.; Li, Y.; Zhang, Z. Polarization-Insensitive Silicon Photonic Variable Optical Attenuator. Photonics 2025, 12, 549. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12060549

AMA Style

Li M, Zhang Y, Jiang H, Wang H, Luo D, Yang J, Li Y, Zhang Z. Polarization-Insensitive Silicon Photonic Variable Optical Attenuator. Photonics. 2025; 12(6):549. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12060549

Chicago/Turabian Style

Li, Meixin, Yuxuan Zhang, Hao Jiang, Haoran Wang, Danni Luo, Jing Yang, Yabin Li, and Zanyun Zhang. 2025. "Polarization-Insensitive Silicon Photonic Variable Optical Attenuator" Photonics 12, no. 6: 549. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12060549

APA Style

Li, M., Zhang, Y., Jiang, H., Wang, H., Luo, D., Yang, J., Li, Y., & Zhang, Z. (2025). Polarization-Insensitive Silicon Photonic Variable Optical Attenuator. Photonics, 12(6), 549. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12060549

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