Design and fabrication of integrated optical 1×8 power splitter in SOI substrate using large cross-section single-mode waveguides

An integrated optical 1x8 power splitter has been designed and fabricated using large cross-section single-mode rib waveguides (input/output) in SOI substrate. The fabricated devices have been characterized in terms of excess loss, insertion loss and uniformity in transmitted powers at each of the output ports. The corresponding typical values are found to be 7 dB, 15 dB, and 0.7 dB, respectively. A prototype 1x8 power splitter has been fiber pigtailed, packaged and also characterized. The characterization results suggest that such power splitter (with further improved design parameters) can be potentially useful in passive/active optical networks operating in the communication window of λ ~ 1550 nm.