Stimulated Raman Scattering in Nonlinear Silicon Nanophotonic Waveguides: Theory and Applications in Photonic Integrated Circuits

Photonics caught world attention since channel capacity limit of metallic interconnects approached due to research and design in high speed digital processors. Use of dielectrics, instead, suitable for light propagation was more attractive due to its extremely wide bandwidth. Many of the devices, both active and passive, have been demonstrated using these insulating materials. Due to its excellent optical characteristics, established fabrication history, and cheaper throughput, silicon found its place in photonics arena. However, due to its indirect band structure, efficient light sources are not possible using silicon as the base material. Nevertheless, techniques such as stimulated Raman scattering and third-harmonic generation have made it possible to avoid this natural hurdle in the path of silicon as a light source. This paper reviews basic theory of stimulated Raman scattering, its applications in the context of silicon based photonic integrated circuits and describes ways to improve this nonlinear effect. This paper also covers few of the most important demonstrations of stimulated Raman scattering published in literature from the last decade.