Compact and low-crosstalk multimode waveguide crossing utilizing subwavelength holey metamaterial waveguides.

To further increase the transmission capacity of on-chip optical communication systems, hybrid division multiplexing technology has emerged as a crucial alternative solution, in which multimode waveguide crossings are highly desired. In this paper, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a compact multimode (i.e., three different modes) waveguide crossing that employs subwavelength holey metamaterial waveguides (SHMWs). The used SHMW, formed by inserting subwavelength periodic holes into a multimode interference (MMI) coupler, deservedly exhibits synergetic advantages of the two kinds of structures, enabling an attractive three-mode (e.g., TE0, TM0, and TM1) waveguide crossing with flexible design, small size, and good performance. Simulation results show that the realized device has a low insertion loss (< 0.74 dB), low reflection loss (<-13.1 dB), and low crosstalk (<-31.6 dB) at a central wavelength of 1550 nm for all the modes with a compact footprint of 27.4 µm × 27.4 µm. The experimental results prove that insertion losses are as low as 0.72 dB, 0.27 dB, and 0.90 dB for TE0, TM0, and TM1 mode, respectively, with the corresponding crosstalk below -38 dB at 1550 nm. The proposed device can be widely applied in photonic integrated circuits to construct photonic systems with the abilities of mode control and multiplexing.