Compact focusing grating couplers for silicon horizontal slot waveguides

In this Letter, we present the design, simulation (2D and 3D), fabrication, and experimental characterization of compact and fully etched focusing gratings for a horizontal slot waveguide based on a silicon nitride layer sandwiched between amorphous silicon and a silicon-on-insulator. The measured coupling losses are about 4 dB with a 3 dB bandwidth of 38 nm. The fully etched configuration allows the fabrication in a single lithography step.