This invention discloses a highly integrated mode filter and its fabrication method, comprising a
silicon substrate, a lower cladding layer, and an upper cladding layer, with a core layer between the upper and lower cladding
layers. The core layer includes an input
waveguide, a first mode routing region for filtering out the fundamental mode and converting higher-order
modes into the fundamental mode for output, a single-mode region for transmitting the single-mode
waveguide in the first mode routing region, a second mode routing region for converting the fundamental mode transmitted in the single-mode region into higher-order
modes, and an output
waveguide. The waveguide inputs from the incident port and propagates through the left-side first mode routing region, where the fundamental mode TE0 is filtered out by the curved waveguide; the higher-order mode TE1 is converted into the fundamental mode TE0 through the left-side first mode routing region, propagates through the central straight waveguide to the right-side second mode routing region, is converted into the higher-order mode TE1, and then outputs from the output port via the output waveguide. This mode filter is simple to fabricate, small in size, has excellent performance, low
processing cost,
high mode conversion rate, and strong anti-
crosstalk capability. It selectively filters out some
modes of light, improving the quality and stability of
optical communication.