Publication

Highly Scalable Digital Silicon Photonic MEMS Switches

Niels Quack
2016
Conference Papers

Abstract

Optical circuit switches with fast switching times can provide rapidly reconfigurable bandwidth in data center networks. Silicon photonic switches are attractive candidates with their fast response times and CMOS process compatibility. In this paper, we report on a 50 x 50 silicon photonic switch with MEMS-actuated vertical adiabatic couplers. The switch is monolithically integrated on a 7.6 x 7.6 mm(2) chip. It has an on-chip insertion loss of 8.5 dB. Our switch exhibits a sub-microsecond switching time (0.85 mu s), a broad spectral bandwidth (1400-1700 nm), and digital switching characteristic. The switch architecture is highly scalable as light passes through only one switching element irrespective of the switch size.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/cd75116b-de90-42c9-bf77-237d8bdc9166

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Niels Quack
2016
Conference Papers

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/cd75116b-de90-42c9-bf77-237d8bdc9166

About this result

Related concepts (26)

Switch

In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of switch is an electromechanical device consisting of one or more sets of movable electrical contacts connected to external circuits. When a pair of contacts is touching current can pass between them, while when the contacts are separated no current can flow.

Silicon photonics

Silicon photonics is the study and application of photonic systems which use silicon as an optical medium. The silicon is usually patterned with sub-micrometre precision, into microphotonic components. These operate in the infrared, most commonly at the 1.55 micrometre wavelength used by most fiber optic telecommunication systems. The silicon typically lies on top of a layer of silica in what (by analogy with a similar construction in microelectronics) is known as silicon on insulator (SOI).

Optical transistor

An optical transistor, also known as an optical switch or a light valve, is a device that switches or amplifies optical signals. Light occurring on an optical transistor's input changes the intensity of light emitted from the transistor's output while output power is supplied by an additional optical source. Since the input signal intensity may be weaker than that of the source, an optical transistor amplifies the optical signal. The device is the optical analog of the electronic transistor that forms the basis of modern electronic devices.

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