Open AccessDense dissimilar waveguide routing for highly efficient thermo-optic switches on silicon
Author(s) -
K. Murray,
Lu Zheng,
Hasitha Jayatilleka,
Lukas Chrostowski
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.23.019575
Subject(s) - materials science , waveguide , extinction ratio , optics , silicon on insulator , ripple , coupling (piping) , optoelectronics , silicon , power (physics) , physics , wavelength , quantum mechanics , metallurgy
We analyze and demonstrate a method for increasing the efficiency of thermo-optic phase shifters on a silicon-on-insulator platform. The lack of cross-coupling between dissimilar waveguides allows highly dense waveguide routing under heating elements and a corresponding increase in efficiency. We demonstrate a device with highly dense routing of 9 waveguides under a 10 µm wide heater and achieve a low switching power of 95 µW, extinction ratio greater than 20 dB, and less than 0.1 dB ripple in the through spectrum with a footprint of less than 800 µm × 180 µm. The increase in waveguide density is found not to negatively impact the switch response time.