Wavelength-size hybrid Si-VO(2) waveguide electroabsorption optical switches and photodetectors

Ultra-compact waveguide electroabsorption optical switches and photodetectors with micron- and sub-micron lengths and compatible with silicon (Si) waveguides are demonstrated using the insulator-metal phase transition of vanadium dioxide (VO(2)). A 1 μm long hybrid Si-VO(2) device is shown to achieve a high extinction ratio of 12 dB and a competitive insertion loss of 5 dB over a broad bandwidth of 100 nm near λ = 1550 nm. The device, operated as a photodetector, can measure optical powers less than 1 μW with a responsivity in excess of 10 A/W. With volumes that are about 100 to 1000 times smaller than today's active Si photonic components, the hybrid Si-VO(2) devices show the feasibility of integrating transition metal oxides on Si photonic platforms for nanoscale electro-optic elements.