Low-loss tantalum pentoxide photonics with a CMOS-compatible process

Abstract

We report a Ta2O5 photonic platform with a propagation loss of 0.49 dB/cm at 1550 nm, of 0.86 dB/cm at 780 nm, and of 3.76 dB/cm at 2000 nm. The thermal bistability measurement is conducted in the entire C-band for the first time to reveal the absorption loss of Ta2O5 waveguides, offering guidelines for further reduction of the waveguide loss. We also characterize the Ta2O5 waveguide temperature response, which shows favorable thermal stability. The fabrication process temperature is below 350°C, which is friendly to integration with active optoelectronic components.