Low-loss, ultracompact n-adjustable waveguide bends for photonic integrated circuits

Countless waveguides have been designed based on four basic bends: circular bend, sine/cosine bend, Euler bend (developed in 1744) and Bezier bend (developed in 1962). This paper proposes an n-adjustable (NA) bend, which has superior properties compared to other basic bends. Simulations and experiments indicate that the NA bends can show lower losses than other basic bends by adjusting n values. The circular bend and Euler bend are special cases of the proposed NA bend as n equals 0 and 1, respectively. The proposed bend are promising candidates for low-loss compact photonic integrated circuits. (c) 2023 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement