A new spot-size converter concept using fiber-matched antiresonant reflecting optical waveguides

We report on a new concept for InGaAsP-InP 1.55-μm lasers with integrated spot-size converters (SSCs) based on antiresonant reflecting optical waveguides (ARROW). The mode expanders consist of a laterally tapered active region on top of a fiber-matched passive slab waveguide. The large slab mode is laterally confined by an antiresonant configuration of a couple of lateral waveguides defined in the same fabrication process as the active ridge. This feature makes the presented spot-size transformer as simple to fabricate as a standard waveguide, only requiring a planar growth step and a single conventional etch process. The fabricated tapers exhibit a low transformation loss and reduce the coupling loss to standard single-mode fibers from 8 to 4 dB. We also analyze by simulation two variants of the concept proposed in this work, including a taper structure for a buried waveguide, which are expected to show better performance. Simulation results show fiber-coupling efficiencies as low as 2.4 and 1.1 dB for both variants.