Multiplexing photonic devices integrated on a silicon/germanium platform for the mid-infrared

With the recent progress in integrated silicon photonics technology and the recent development of efficient quantum cascade laser technology (QCL), there is now a very good opportunity to investigate new gas sensors offering both very high sensitivity, high selectivity (multi-gas sensing, atmosphere analysis) and low cost thanks to the integration on planar substrate. In this context, we have developed singlemode optical waveguides in the mid-infrared based on Silicon/Germanium alloy integrated on silicon. These waveguides, compatible with standard microelectronic technologies present very low loss in the 3300 - 1300 cm^-1 range. This paper presents the design, technological realization, and characterization of array waveguide grating devices specifically developed for the simultaneous detection of several gas using arrays of QCL sources. Gas sensing generally requires a tunable source continuously covering the whole operational range of the QCL stack. With this objective, specific design has been adopted to flatten the optical transfer function of the whole multiplexers. Samples devices around 2235cm- 1 were realized and tested and showed results in good agreement with the modeling, flat transmission over a full 100 cm^-1 operational range were obtained with a peak-to-valley modulation of -5dB were experimentally measured. These devices will be soon associated with QCL arrays in order to provide integrated, powerful, multi wavelength, laser sources in the 2235 cm^-1 region applicable to NO, CO, and CO₂ multi-gas sensor.