Adiabatic thermo-optic Mach-Zehnder switch
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Published on: October 31, 2019
Michael R Watts1, Jie Sun, Christopher DeRose
1Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. mwatts@mit.edu
Abstract:
In this Letter, we propose and demonstrate a high-speed and power-efficient thermo-optic switch using an adiabatic bend with a directly integrated silicon heater to minimize the heat capacity and therein maximize the performance of the thermo-optic switch. A rapid, τ=2.4 μs thermal time constant and a low electrical power consumption of P(π)=12.7 mW/π-phase shift were demonstrated representing a P(π)τ product of only 30.5 mW·μs in a compact device with a phase shifter of only ~10 μm long.
