Aluminum scandium nitride waveguide in the near-infrared

Aluminum scandium nitride (Al_1-xSc_xN) optical waveguides with various geometric parameters and scandium (Sc) concentrations (x = 0, 0.09, 0.17, 0.32, 0.41) are investigated by numerical simulation. The waveguides are designed to operate at three near-infrared wavelengths of 940, 1550, and 2000 nm. The effective refractive indices and electric-field intensity of various optical modes for channel and rib waveguides are obtained. In addition, the impact of waveguide width as well as the slab thickness on the single-mode condition of the (Al_1-xSc_xN) waveguides are presented.