High Contrast Nulling in Photonic Meshes Through Architectural Redundancy

2025/02/11 by Carson Valdez, Valdez, Carson, Zhanghao Sun +7 · 3 citations
Computer Science · Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Neural Networks and Reservoir Computing #Optics (physics.optics) #Photonic Crystals and Applications #Photonic and Optical Devices

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2502.07997

openalex publication_date 2025/02/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We demonstrate a silicon photonic architecture comprised of Double Mach-Zehnder Interferometers (DMZIs) designed for high-contrast photonic applications. This configuration significantly enhances the achievable extinction ratio of photonic integrated circuits (PICs), reaching levels exceeding 80 dB. By leveraging the tunable properties of DMZIs and implementing a systematic configuration algorithm, the proposed mesh effectively compensates for fabrication imperfections and mitigates non-idealities such as back reflections. Experimental validation on a silicon-on-insulator platform demonstrates the potential of this approach for applications requiring high contrast nulling such as astronomical sensing.

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• Programmable Optical Filters Based on Feed-Forward Photonic Meshes
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