Full-core antimony sulfide platform for reconfigurable on-chip photonics

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Chalcogenide phase-change materials offer large, reversible index shifts for nonvolatile, energy-efficient photonic technologies.
• Current photonic devices face limitations such as lossy films, restricted index modulation, or poor optical confinement.
• Existing implementations often involve ultrathin films with passive waveguides or direct laser writing, hindering performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel antimony trisulfide (Sb2S3) waveguide platform for advanced photonic applications.
• To overcome the limitations of current phase-change material integrations in photonic devices.
• To provide a robust platform for reconfigurable and densely integrated photonic devices.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of an antimony trisulfide (Sb2S3) waveguide core.
• Theoretical analysis of effective index and absorption modulation.
• Integration of the Sb2S3 material as the guiding core in a waveguide architecture.

Main Results:

• The proposed Sb2S3 waveguide platform theoretically supports significant modulation of effective index.
• Substantial modulation of optical absorption is also theoretically achievable within the platform.
• The architecture demonstrates potential for robust photonic device performance.

Conclusions:

• The Sb2S3 waveguide platform offers a promising solution for next-generation photonic devices.
• This approach enables enhanced control over optical properties for reconfigurable integrated photonics.
• The study lays the groundwork for densely integrated, nonvolatile photonic technologies.