Birefringence of passive multi-quantum-well semiconductor slab waveguides

Effective refractive-indices of both TE and TM modes of passive semiconductor slab waveguides in the wavelength range near half the bandgap are measured and modeled. Comparisons among a bulk waveguide and several multiple-quantum-well (MQW) waveguides show that the layered structures of a MQW tend to enhance the birefringence. Also, for a waveguide there exists a birefringence maximum at a wavelength that depends on the guiding layer thickness. Theoretical calculations with a model of anisotropic guiding layers for MQW waveguides show good agreement with the experimental results.<
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