Abstract

In this paper, an electrically driven optical modulator and switch based on micro-ring resonators using the phase change material (PCM) of ${{\rm Ge}_2}{{\rm Sb}_2}{{\rm Te}_5}$ (GST) is designed and their optical properties are investigated. The change in refractive index between two states in PCMs is orders of magnitude larger than conventional electro-optic and free-carrier dispersion effects. These extraordinary variations make PCMs excellent candidates for optical active devices such as modulators and switches. In our design, GST is used as the active material because it is far more stable and results in lower insertion loss compared to other PCMs such as vanadium dioxide (${{\rm VO}_2}$) (at $\lambda = {1.55}\;\unicode{x00B5}{\rm m}$, the imaginary part of the refractive index is 1.49 for GST and 2.53 for ${{\rm VO}_2}$ is their metallic phases). By optimizing the GST dimensions, the device figure of merit is maximized. Three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations show a very high extinction ratio of 37.3 dB with a low insertion loss of 0.427 dB for the proposed modulator and high extinction ratios of 19 dB and 10 dB in off and on states and insertion losses of 1.52 dB and 2.02 dB in off and on states, respectively, of the proposed ${1} \times {2}$ switch.

© 2021 Optical Society of America

GeSbSeTe-based high extinction ratio optical modulator

Ali Mahmoodi, Mehdi Miri, Mohammad Hossein Sheikhi, and Sohrab Mohammadi-Pouyan
Appl. Opt. 62(11) 2776-2783 (2023)

Compact asymmetric directional-coupler-based two-mode optical switch utilizing low loss Sb₂Se₃ phase-change material

Ali Atri and Abbas Zarifkar
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 39(11) 2870-2877 (2022)

Electrically controlled 1 × 2 tunable switch using a phase change material embedded silicon microring

Nadir Ali, Roberto R. Panepucci, Yiwei Xie, Daoxin Dai, and Rajesh Kumar
Appl. Opt. 60(13) 3559-3568 (2021)

Design and numerical analysis of a high-performance optical modulator based on Si-VO₂ Bragg grating waveguide

Sohrab Mohammadi Pouyan, Mehdi Miri, and Mohammad Hossein Sheikhi
Appl. Opt. 60(5) 1083-1091 (2021)

Ultra-compact integrated photonic switch using miniature phase change material inserted in a slot waveguide

Hao Shi, Lei Zhang, Lin Wang, Zhenjiang Li, Yang Gao, Yanqing Wu, and Renzhong Tai
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 40(9) 2365-2371 (2023)