Thin Membrane Hybrid Rib and Air Core ARROW Waveguides

We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of trenched hollow core anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguides (ARROWs). We discuss design principles and outline a novel fabrication process utilizing an etched trench and a thin oxide membrane. Four unique designs were created, demonstrating improved loss as ARROW layers were added. Propagation loss coefficients as low as 1 cm
^-1
were measured.