Abstract
Efficient integrated photonic switches play a critical role in both interchip optical interconnects and data center networks that need to be dynamically reconfigured. Here, we demonstrate a 1 × 2 switch using phase change material Ge-Sb-Te (GST) combined with a silicon nitride microring resonator. The switch operates by utilizing the dramatic difference in the optical refractive index and extinction coefficient between the crystalline and amorphous phases of GST. By patterning and encapsulating the GST into subwavelength structures, the device achieves a low insertion loss of less than 1 dB in both output ports and can be switched reliably both photothermally and electrothermally.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 87-92 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | ACS Photonics |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 16 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Prof. C. David Wright from the Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, U.K., for supplying some of the GST films used in this study and discussions on their properties. We acknowledge the funding support provided by the ONR MURI (Award No. N00014-17-1-2661). Part of this work was carried out in the University of Minnesota Nanofabrication Center, which receives partial support from the NSF through the NNIN program, and the Characterization Facility, which is a member of the NSF-funded Materials Research Facilities Network via the MRSEC program.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Chemical Society.
Keywords
- germanium antimony telluride
- microring resonator
- optical switch
- phase-change materials
- silicon photonics