Reconfigurable on-chip optical wireless switches on SiN-TFLN hybrid platform

Area of Science:

• Integrated photonics
• Optical phased arrays
• Hybrid photonic devices

Background:

• Integrated optical phased arrays (OPAs) are crucial for non-mechanical beam steering in photonics.
• Fabricating lithium niobate (LN) components directly presents significant manufacturing challenges.
• Silicon nitride (SiN) offers a complementary platform but has limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel hybrid silicon nitride-thin film lithium niobate (SiN-TFLN) platform for integrated optical switches.
• To overcome LN fabrication challenges while leveraging its unique properties.
• To demonstrate enhanced performance and energy efficiency in on-chip optical switching.

Main Methods:

• Design and numerical simulation of a SiN-TFLN based optical switch utilizing OPAs.
• Implementation of electro-optic phase shifters for beam steering.
• Evaluation of device performance, including half-wave voltage-length product and energy consumption.

Main Results:

• The hybrid SiN-TFLN optical switch shows improved performance compared to SiN-only configurations.
• The electro-optic phase shifter achieved a half-wave voltage-length product of 4.74 V cm.
• The optical switch requires only 10.52 pJ for directing optical signals, with a phase shift energy of 5.93 pJ.

Conclusions:

• The hybrid SiN-TFLN approach effectively circumvents LN fabrication difficulties.
• This platform facilitates the design of high-performance integrated photonic devices.
• The developed optical switch offers a low-energy solution for on-chip communication.