Design and Static Analysis of MEMS-Actuated Silicon Nitride Waveguide Optical Switch

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Materials Science
• Integrated Optics and Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)

Background:

• Optical switches are crucial components in modern optical communication systems.
• Existing optical switch technologies face challenges in terms of size, power consumption, and integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and simulate a novel optical switch utilizing a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) to modulate silicon nitride (Si3N4) waveguides.
• To achieve optical switching functionality based on a directional coupling (DC) mechanism with distinct bar and cross states.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) to actuate a silicon nitride (Si3N4) wire.
• Simulating two static states of the device to optimize directional coupling (DC) structure parameters.
• Analyzing key performance metrics including insertion loss, extinction ratio, and crosstalk.

Main Results:

• The optimized device size is 8.8 μm × 55 μm.
• Achieved insertion loss ranges from 0.18 dB to 0.47 dB in the C band.
• Demonstrated excellent extinction ratios (approx. 24.70 dB) and low crosstalk (approx. -24.60 dB).

Conclusions:

• The proposed MEMS-based optical switch exhibits excellent performance characteristics.
• This device offers significant advantages for integrated optics and various applications like optical communications and data centers.
• The findings provide valuable reference for future developments in optical switching technologies.