Characterization of AlGaAs/AlAs waveguides for optical parametric interactions

G. Leo, G. Assanto, O. Durand, and V. Berger

J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 19, 902-910 (2002)

Abstract:

We report on the use of several complementary techniques for the optical characterization of semiconductor waveguides for parametric generation. Grating-assisted distributed coupling, X-ray reflectometry and surface-emitting second harmonic generation allowed us to evaluate the effective indices of the guided modes, the thickness of each constituent layer and the modal birefringences of a multilayer AlGaAs/AlAs waveguide, respectively. With the experimental accuracy afforded by these techniques we could precisely infer the bulk refractive indices of the various films, complying with the strict requirements of phase-matched guided-wave devices.