Light spectral filtering based on spatial adiabatic passage

We present the first experimental realization of a light spectral filter based on the spatial adiabatic passage technique. We demonstrate that a fully integrable CMOS-compatible system of three coupled identical total internal reflection silicon oxide waveguides with variable separation along their propagation direction can be used simultaneously as a low- and high-pass spectral filter within the visible range of wavelengths. Light is injected into the right waveguide, and after propagating along the system, long wavelengths are transferred into the left output, whereas short wavelengths propagate to the right and central outputs. The stopband reaches values up to -11 dB for the left output and approximately -20 dB for the right plus central outputs. The passband values are close to 0 dB for both cases. We also demonstrate that the filtering characteristics of the device can be controlled by modifying the parameter values, which define the geometry of the triple-waveguide system. However, the general filtering behavior of the system does not critically depend on technological variations. Thus, the spatial adiabatic passage filtering approach constitutes an alternative to other integrated filtering devices, such as interference or absorbance-based filters. © 2013 CIOMP. All rights reserved.