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Dense dissimilar waveguide routing for highly efficient thermo-optic switches on silicon
Optics Express
|September 15, 2015
Summary
This study enhances thermo-optic phase shifter efficiency on silicon-on-insulator chips. High waveguide density under heaters boosts performance without compromising speed.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Integrated Optics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Thermo-optic phase shifters are crucial for optical communication and signal processing.
- Existing designs face limitations in waveguide density and power efficiency.
- Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) offers a robust platform for integrated photonic devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a novel method for increasing the efficiency of thermo-optic phase shifters.
- To explore the impact of high waveguide density on device performance.
- To achieve low switching power and high extinction ratios in a compact footprint.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing the lack of cross-coupling between dissimilar waveguides for dense routing.
- Integrating 9 waveguides under a 10 µm wide heater on an SOI platform.
- Characterizing switching power, extinction ratio, spectral ripple, and response time.
Main Results:
- Achieved a low switching power of 95 µW.
- Demonstrated an extinction ratio greater than 20 dB.
- Observed less than 0.1 dB ripple in the through spectrum.
- Confirmed that increased waveguide density does not negatively impact switch response time.
Conclusions:
- The proposed method significantly enhances thermo-optic phase shifter efficiency.
- High waveguide density is a viable strategy for improving device performance.
- The demonstrated device offers excellent performance metrics within a compact footprint.
