Raman effect in silicon-on-insulator nanowire waveguides

This thesis investigates the Raman effect in nanowire SOI waveguides. The creation of silicon light emitters and lasers has been considered as one of the up-to-date research topics, because of its potential applications, as well as the challenge imposed by nature. In chapter 2, the theory of Raman scattering in silicon waveguide will be reviewed. The properties of silicon material are studied. The equation of light propagation inside a planar waveguide is driven. A model of coupling both the pump wave and the signal wave into the waveguide will be given. The nonlinear loss associated with high pump intensities is discussed. In chapter 3, the methods of light coupling between the single mode optical fiber and the nanowire silicon waveguide are going to be explained. In chapter 4, spontaneous Raman scattering and Raman on-off gain is measured. The SOI waveguide with SiO2 cover and the one that exists in air are investigated. Carrier lifetime in silicon waveguides plays an important role to achieve Raman net gain. In chapter 5, on-off Raman gain is measured in different waveguides using an active device of silicon nanowire waveguides. Finally, in chapter 6, the conclusions are presented and future work is proposed.