Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026
08:44
Fabrication and Testing of Photonic Thermometers
Published on: October 24, 2018
Lossless resistive micro-heater design for reconfigurable phase-change photonics
Optics Letters
|May 15, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a novel design for electrically reconfigurable photonics that minimizes optical losses. This new approach uses optical phase change materials (PCMs) and engineered optical modes, improving device efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Materials Science
- Electrical Engineering
Background:
- Electrically reconfigurable photonics utilizing optical phase change materials (PCMs) are crucial for applications like analog computing and optical camouflage.
- Current devices rely on resistive micro-heaters for PCM switching, which introduce significant optical losses via free carrier absorption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a design concept that mitigates optical losses in electrically reconfigurable photonic devices without affecting micro-heater electrical performance.
- To demonstrate a method for suppressing parasitic optical losses in doped silicon heaters.
Main Methods:
- Engineered the optical mode to minimize field overlap with lossy doped regions in silicon heaters.
- Proposed an active optical meta-grating design incorporating the developed concept.
Main Results:
- Achieved a 2π phase tuning range near 1.53 μm wavelength.
- Utilized a thin 10 nm Sb2S3 layer for switching.
- Maintained over 85% optical efficiency, significantly reducing losses.
Conclusions:
- The proposed design effectively suppresses parasitic optical losses in micro-heaters for reconfigurable photonics.
- This approach enhances optical efficiency while preserving electrical performance, paving the way for advanced photonic devices.
