Low-Coherence Method for Mode Analysis of a Silicon-Based Two-Mode Waveguide

We propose and demonstrate an effective method for mode analysis of a silicon-based two-mode waveguide using time-domain scanning low-coherence interferometry (LCI). An on-chip offset launch technique is implemented to motivate and couple out the two modes. From the low-coherence signal, it is convenient to simultaneously perform the mode identification and analyze the differential modal group delay in a silicon-based multimode waveguide. Our experimental results show good agreement with the simulation results. The low-coherence interferogram shows that only short samples of waveguide (<;220 μm) is sufficient for the LCI to do the mode analysis. This letter provides a feasible method for the mode identification and the transmission channel analysis in silicon-based multimode waveguide used for 2 × 2 on-chip mode-division multiplexing.