Photothermal Switching Based on Silicon Mach-Zehnder Interferometer Integrated with Light Absorber

• We present an all-optical switch based on photothermal effects in a silicon Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) integrated with a light absorber. The metal-insulator-metal light absorber located near the longer arm of the asymmetric MZI efficiently converts infrared light to heat. Pumped by a continuous-wave 1064-nm laser, the spectral transmittance of the fully etched strip waveguide (half-etched rib waveguide) MZI can be tuned with an efficiency of 38 pm/mW (98.5 pm/mW). Dynamic switching experiments show that the rise/fall time constant of the output probe light is 11.45/10.98 μs (8.25/7.13 μs) for the fully etched (half-etched) MZI.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Annan teknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Other Engineering and Technologies (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Fabrication and charaterization

Integrated nanophotonic systems

Photothermal effect

Silicon nanophotonics

Waveguides

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)