Highly integrated 3×3 silicon thermo-optical switch using a single combined phase shifter for optical interconnects

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Integrated Optics
• Semiconductor Devices

Background:

• Conventional multiway optical switches often require complex control mechanisms and extensive space.
• Thermo-optical switches offer a promising alternative for optical signal routing due to their scalability and CMOS compatibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally demonstrate a novel 3x3 thermo-optical switch on silicon on insulator (SOI).
• To showcase a simplified control method for optical switching with a highly integrated structure.
• To explore the generalizability of the proposed design for 1xN and NxN optical switch configurations.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a 3x3 thermo-optical switch using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology.
• Utilizing a single combined phase shifter for controlling light routing between input and output waveguides.
• Experimental validation of the switching functionality at a wavelength of 1.55 μm.

Main Results:

• Full 3x3 switching functionality was successfully demonstrated.
• Achieved an average crosstalk of -11.1 dB, indicating efficient signal isolation.
• Measured a power consumption of 97.5 mW for the device operation.

Conclusions:

• The proposed thermo-optical switch offers a simple and highly integrated solution for optical routing.
• The design is scalable to larger NxN configurations without additional phase shifters.
• This advancement holds potential for next-generation optical communication and computing systems.