Characterization of Low Loss Photonic Waveguides Using Arrayed Waveguide Structure

We present a new method of accurately and quickly characterizing waveguide loss using an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) measured in a swept wavelength interferometer (SWI). By taking the Fourier transform of the interference pattern in the optical frequency domain we are able to accurately extract the waveguide propagation loss which is independent of insertion loss due to on and off chip coupling. This method is applied to a 400 nm × 230 nm silicon waveguide which we find to have a loss of 2.13±0.05 dB/cm. We will also present additional results for waveguide loss as a function of waveguide width.