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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 13, 2026

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

Published on: October 31, 2019

Adiabatic thermo-optic Mach-Zehnder switch.

Michael R Watts¹, Jie Sun, Christopher DeRose

¹Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. mwatts@mit.edu

|March 5, 2013

Summary

We developed a fast and energy-efficient thermo-optic switch using integrated silicon heaters. This compact device achieves rapid switching speeds and low power consumption, enhancing performance for optical applications.

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Last Updated: May 13, 2026

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

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Published on: October 31, 2019

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Patterning via Optical Saturable Transitions - Fabrication and Characterization

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Published on: December 11, 2014

Area of Science:

Photonics
Materials Science
Electrical Engineering

Background:

Thermo-optic switches are crucial components in optical communication systems.
Existing designs often face trade-offs between speed, power consumption, and device size.
Minimizing heat capacity is key to improving thermo-optic switch performance.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose and demonstrate a novel high-speed and power-efficient thermo-optic switch.
To leverage an adiabatic bend with a directly integrated silicon heater.
To minimize heat capacity for maximized switch performance.

Main Methods:

Integration of a silicon heater directly onto an adiabatic bend structure.
Fabrication of a compact thermo-optic phase shifter.
Characterization of thermal time constant and power consumption.

Main Results:

Achieved a rapid thermal time constant of τ=2.4 μs.
Demonstrated low electrical power consumption of P(π)=12.7 mW/π-phase shift.
Obtained an excellent P(π)τ product of 30.5 mW·μs in a ~10 μm long device.

Conclusions:

The proposed thermo-optic switch design offers significant improvements in speed and power efficiency.
Direct integration of silicon heaters effectively reduces heat capacity.
This compact and high-performance device is suitable for advanced optical applications.