Mode conversion using stimulated Brillouin scattering in nanophotonic silicon waveguides

© 2014 Optical Society of America We theoretically and numerically investigate Stimulated Brillouin Scattering generated mode conversion in high-contrast suspended silicon nanophotonic waveguides. We predict significantly enhanced mode conversion when the linked effects of radiation pressure and motion of the waveguide boundaries are taken into account. The mode conversion is more than 10 times larger than would be predicted if the effect of radiation pressure is not taken into account: we find a waveguide length of 740 μm is required for 20dB of mode conversion, assuming a total pump power of 1W. This is sufficient to bring the effect into the realm of chip-scale photonic waveguides. We explore the interaction between the different types of acoustic modes that can exist within these waveguides, and show how the presence of these modes leads to enhanced conversion between the different possible optical modes