ABSTRACT
Optical switches are key components for routing of light transmission paths in data links. Existing waveguide-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) switches occupy a significant amount of real estate on-chip. Here we propose a compact Silicon MZI thermo-optic 2 × 2 photonic switch, consisting of two frustrated total internal reflection (TIR) trench couplers and TIR mirror-based 90° waveguide bends, forming a rectangular MZI configuration. The switch allows for reconfigurable design footprints due to selected control of the optical signal being transmitted and reflected at the 90° crosses and bends. Our analysis results show that the switch exhibits a chip size of 42 µm × 42 µm, the extinction ratio of ~14 dB, the rise and fall time of 20 µs and 16 µs, and the low switching voltage and power of 0.35 V and 26 mW, respectively. This device configuration can readily scale its pattern at the two-dimensional directions, making them attractive for Silicon photonic integrated circuits.
ABSTRACT
Optical switches are key components in data links for optical communication networks requiring low crosstalk and insertion loss, high switching speed, and power efficiency. A multimode-interference (MMI)-coupler-based switch with multiple inputs and outputs serving as a switching unit is desired toward forming a large-scale switch matrix. Here we demonstrate a compact 3×3 MMI coupler electro-optic switch based on the carrier injection effect on InGaAsP/InP substrates. This switch device is 2780 µm long by 18 µm wide. The switching states can be controlled by two index-modulation regions through applied bias voltages. Our simulation results show that the device exhibits low crosstalk of <-22 dB, high extinction ratio of â³23 dB, low electrical switching energy of â¼2.0 pJ/bit, maximum operational frequency of â¼1.0 GHz, and optical bandwidth of â¼20 nm in the C band. We experimentally validated one of the switching states on a fabricated device with maximum current injections of â¼25 mA under combined bias voltages of â¼2.5 and â¼3.0 V. Such monolithic integration schemes make them an ideal candidate for future on-chip photonic integrated circuits.