Non-volatile 2 × 2 optical switch using multimode interference in an Sb2Se3-loaded waveguide

Abstract

We propose a non-volatile 2 × 2 photonic switch based on multimode interference in an Sb2Se3-loaded waveguide. The different modal symmetries of the TE0 and TE1 modes supported in the multimode region change their propagation constants distinctly upon the Sb2Se3 phase transition. Through careful optical design and FDTD optimization of the multimode waveguide dimensions, efficient switching is achieved despite the modest index contrast of Sb2Se3 relative to Ge2Sb2Te5. The fabricated optical switch demonstrates favorable characteristics, including low insertion loss of ∼1 dB, a compact length of ∼27 µm, and small cross talk below −15 dB across a 35 nm bandwidth. Such non-volatile and broadband components will be critical for future high-density programmable photonic-integrated circuits for optical communications and signal processing.