ANN ARBOR, MI
The Electronics Research Department at Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRINA) in collaboration with Stanford University recently made advancements in optical performance of a dual-ring resonator device which is a common component in photonic integrated circuits. The study aimed to exploit designed thermal isolation between the rings. The work was recently published in the Journal of the Optical Society of America B.
The team investigated a structure consisting of two silicon ring resonators, each 20 µm in diameter, embedded in silicon dioxide. A key innovation is a method for determining an optimized air trench topology surrounding the rings. This customization resulted in a 10.3 °C increase in steady-state temperature between the rings, significantly enhancing thermal isolation compared to conventional designs. Furthermore, the researchers explored additional innovations, such as adding a between-ring thermal isolation trench and thermally conductive overlay. These enhancements improved the anisotropic heat flow control, reducing throughput by -3.36 dB at the device drop port and increasing the difference between ring resonances by 37%.
For detailed information, please refer to the published paper in Journal of the Optical Society of America B [1]
