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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/R04805/01
Title: Design and Optimisation of High-Speed Compact Optical Modulators/Switches With Low Polarisation Crosstalk
Principal Investigator: Rahman, Professor BMA
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Bookham Technology Plc Defence Science and Technology Laborator
Department: Sch of Engineering and Mathematical Sci
Organisation: City, University of London
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 July 2001 Ends: 30 June 2004 Value (£): 184,192
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Optical Communications
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Communications Electronics
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
To increase the performance of optoelectronic systems incorporating high-speed switches/modulators, various optical parameters will be optimised, with for example the aim to increase speed, match optical and microwave velocities, achieve impedance matching, and at the same time reduce polarisation crosstalk, the operating voltage, and insertion loss, while improving beam shape and reducing overall chip size. To achieve these, simultaneously various device parameters in the design of the main phase shifting guidewave section and travelling-wave multielectrode structures will be considered. The gap between the electrodes, their width, thickness and placement, and the composition and thickness of the buffer and substrate layer will be optimised. The effect of waveguide dimensions, wall slopes, asymmetry, and offsets on the polarisation conversion will be investigated. The transmission and reflection coefficients, alignment tolerances, together with near and far-field profiles, beam shaping of the spot-size converters will be considered. The power balance between the MMI-based compact power splitters/combiners, the total power loss, polarisation dependence and the reflection at the interfaces will be investigated to obtain an overall improved system design. The computationally efficient vector H-field finite element formulation will be used for the model analysis. For the junction analysis, a rigorous least squares boundary residual method will be adopted and for the overall system analyses a fully vectorial finite element-based beam propagation method will be further developed from previous research. The numerical tools will be widely applicable in systems design and anlysis.
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Organisation Website: http://www.city.ac.uk