A novel broadband multimode waveguide bend is proposed that supports the propagation of multiple TE modes on a silicon-on-insulator platform. The gradient curvature bend utilizes trapezoidal subwavelength grating (SWG) segments, connected by adiabatically tapered radial strips to achieve efficient mode (de)multiplexing. The inclusion of the radial strips offers an extra degree of design freedom, allowing the realization of a multimode bend with only one single full etch step. The access waveguide has a width of 2.075 μm with an effective radius of 10 μm. Propagation loss for all modes remains below 2.96 dB, and intermodal crosstalk has a maximum of -19 dB across a broad bandwidth of 100 nm, centred at 1550 nm. This work presents an excellent design choice for broadband mode-division multiplexing operations.
SOI multimode waveguide bend with radially bridged SWGs for broadband (de)multiplexing -INVITED