Silicon photonic microelectromechanical switch using lateral adiabatic waveguide couplers.

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
• Optical Switching

Background:

• Optical matrix switches are crucial for telecommunications and data centers.
• Existing MEMS switches face challenges in terms of size, speed, and integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, fabricate, and test a silicon photonic waveguide switch for microelectromechanical optical matrix applications.
• To evaluate the performance of adiabatic couplers with lateral comb-drive actuators for optical path switching.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of silicon photonic waveguides with adiabatic couplers and lateral comb-drive actuators.
• Characterization of switch transmission as a function of coupler gap.
• Measurement of port isolation, insertion loss, and switching time.
• Assembly and testing of an 8x8 matrix switch composed of 64 individual switches.

Main Results:

• Achieved port isolation of 16.7 dB at a coupler gap of 109 nm.
• Estimated insertion loss of less than 1 dB.
• Demonstrated a switching time of 36.7 μsec.
• Successfully composed and tested an 8x8 optical matrix switch.

Conclusions:

• The developed silicon photonic waveguide switch demonstrates promising performance for optical matrix applications.
• The use of adiabatic couplers and comb-drive actuators offers an effective approach for high-isolation, low-loss optical switching.
• The successful integration into an 8x8 matrix highlights the scalability of the proposed switch design.