Compact, broadband, and low-loss multimode optical switch based on phase-change material for mode division...

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Integrated Circuit Technology

Background:

• Mode-division multiplexing (MDM) is crucial for increasing data capacity in optical communication systems.
• Multimode optical switches are essential components for building robust MDM interconnection networks.
• Existing solutions face challenges in terms of size, performance, and material compatibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and simulate a novel multimode on-off optical switch.
• To utilize Germanium-Antimony-Selenium-Tellurium (Ge2Sb2Se4Te1) phase-change material for optical switching.
• To evaluate the switch's performance for multiple modes (TE0, TE1, TM0, TM1) across a broad wavelength range.

Main Methods:

• 3D finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations were employed for device analysis.
• The switch design incorporates a compact footprint of 10.7µm x 3µm.
• Performance metrics including insertion loss and extinction ratio were calculated.

Main Results:

• The switch demonstrates low insertion loss (<0.80 dB) and high extinction ratio (>20.21 dB) for TE0, TE1, TM0, and TM1 modes.
• The device operates effectively across a wide wavelength range (100 nm to 1550 nm).
• The switch exhibits good tolerance to fabrication variations, including waveguide width, height, and material thickness.

Conclusions:

• The proposed Ge2Sb2Se4Te1-based multimode optical switch offers a promising solution for high-capacity photonic integrated circuits.
• The compact size, broad wavelength operation, and fabrication tolerance make it suitable for practical MDM networks.
• This technology advancement contributes to the development of next-generation optical communication systems.