  Astrophotonics is the next-generation approach that provides the means to
miniaturize near-infrared (NIR) spectrometers for upcoming large telescopes and
make them more robust and inexpensive. The target requirements for our
spectrograph are: a resolving power of about 3000, wide spectral range (J and H
bands), free spectral range of about 30 nm, high on-chip throughput of about
80% (-1dB) and low crosstalk (high contrast ratio) between adjacent on-chip
wavelength channels of less than 1% (-20dB). A promising photonic technology to
achieve these requirements is Arrayed Waveguide Gratings (AWGs). We have
developed our first generation of AWG devices using a silica-on-silicon
substrate with a very thin layer of silicon-nitride in the core of our
waveguides. The waveguide bending losses are minimized by optimizing the
geometry of the waveguides. Our first generation of AWG devices are designed
for H band and have a resolving power of around 1500 and free spectral range of
about 10 nm around a central wavelength of 1600 nm. The devices have a
footprint of only 12 mm x 6 mm. They are broadband (1450-1650 nm), have a peak
on-chip throughput of about 80% (-1 dB) and contrast ratio of about 1.5% (-18
dB). These results confirm the robustness of our design, fabrication and
simulation methods. Currently, the devices are designed for Transverse Electric
(TE) polarization and all the results are for TE mode. We are developing
separate J- and H-band AWGs with higher resolving power, higher throughput and
lower crosstalk over a wider free spectral range to make them better suited for
astronomical applications.
