ABSTRACTThe effect of the Si:Ge ratio in SiGe/Si heterostructures on the structural and optical properties of SiGe/Si planar waveguide are reported here for Ge concentrations from 1 to 33.6%. The high propagation loss at 1.15 pm is due to band edge absorption, which increases as the Ge concentration increases, while the loss at longer wavelengths (1.523 pm) increases with decreasing Si concentration, due to the reduced optical confinement of the waveguide structure.