Harpoon-shaped topological photonic crystal for on-chip beam splitter

The advancement of integrated optical communication networks necessitates the deployment of on-chip beam splitters for efficient signal interconnections at network nodes. However, the pursuit of micron-scale beam splitting with large corners and reducing the device footprint to boost connection flexibility often results in phase mismatches. These mismatches, which stem from radiation modes and backward scattering, pose significant obstacles in creating highly integrated and interference-resistant connections. To address this, we introduce a solution based on the topological valley-contrasting state generated by photonic crystals with opposing valley Chern numbers, manifested in a harpoon-shaped structure designed to steer the splitting channels. This approach enables adiabatic mode field evolution over large corners, capitalizing on the robust phase modulation capabilities and topological protection provided by the subwavelength-scale valley-contrasting state. Our demonstration reveals that beam splitters with large corners of 60°, 90°, and 120° exhibit insertion loss fluctuations below 2.7 dB while maintaining a minimal footprint of 8.8 µm × 8.8 µm. As a practical demonstration, these devices facilitate three-channel signal connections, successfully transmitting quadrature phase shift keying signals at 3.66 Tbit/s with bit error rates below the forward error correction threshold, demonstrating performance comparable to that in defects scenarios. By harnessing the unidirectional excitation feature, we anticipate significant enhancements in the capabilities of signal distribution and connection networks through a daisy chain configuration.