Fast and low power Michelson interferometer thermo-optical switch on SOI

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Optical switching technologies
• Integrated optics

Background:

• Thermo-optical switches are crucial for optical networks.
• Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platforms offer advantages for integrated photonics.
• Efficient heat management is key to reducing power consumption in optical switches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate novel thermo-optical switches using silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology.
• To investigate the impact of deep etched trenches for heat isolation on switch performance.
• To compare the power efficiency of the proposed Michelson interferometer (MI) switch with traditional Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) designs.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of SOI-based Michelson interferometer (MI) thermo-optical switches.
• Incorporation of deep etched trenches for enhanced thermal isolation.
• Experimental characterization of switch power consumption and switching time.

Main Results:

• Switches with deep etched trenches demonstrated a 20% reduction in power consumption.
• The MI thermo-optical switch consumed approximately 50% less power than comparable Mach-Zehnder interferometer switches.
• Achieved 10.6 mW switch power and 42 µs switching time for the trench-isolated MI, versus 13.14 mW and 34 µs without trenches.

Conclusions:

• Deep etched trenches are an effective strategy for improving heat isolation in SOI thermo-optical switches.
• The developed MI thermo-optical switch offers significant power savings compared to MZI designs.
• This technology presents a promising solution for low-power, high-performance optical switching applications.