Characterisation of multi-mode propagation in silicon nitride slab waveguides

A simple experimental method for determining the number of modes in planar dielectric multi-mode waveguides, and the effective index difference of these modes, is presented. Applying a thin, dye-doped polymer cladding, the fluorescence excited by multiple modes propagating in a silicon nitride slab waveguide is imaged to extract information. Interference between the modes produces a structured intensity profile along the waveguide which is constant in time. The spatial frequencies of this intensity profile are directly linked to the propagation constants of the underlying modes. Through a discrete Fourier transform, the modes' effective index differences are found and compare well with analytically calculated values. Furthermore, the amplitudes in the Fourier transform are directly related to the power in each mode. Comparing the amplitudes of the Fourier components as a function of propagation distance, an estimate of the propagation losses of the individual modes relative to one another is made. The method discussed could be applied to analysing mode behaviour in integrated photonic devices, most notably in mode-division multiplexing. (paper)