Integrated 1 × 3 MEMS silicon nitride photonics switch

Sharma, Suraj; Kohli, Niharika; Brière, Jonathan; Nabki, Frédéric; Ménard, Michel

doi:10.1364/oe.460533

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Most MEMS integrated optical switches are driven by electrostatic actuators, which are known for low power consumption and fast response; however, they generate small forces, which leads to large actuation voltages even for small displacements, and large footprint to increase the electrostatic force. Therefore, most of these devices show displacements smaller than 5 µm and actuation voltages larger than 10 V [15], [24], [28], [25], [42], [43]. This study shows that it is possible to implement a relatively high radix, low voltage, small, and robust integrated optical switch using electrothermal actuators made with SOI wafers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Concerning insertion losses, 3-6 dB is a better result compared to previous devices proposed by our group. The crossbar [28] and the 1 x 3 [43] switches showed insertion losses of 12-15 dB and 4-6 dB respectively. Other MEMS integrated switches based on butt-coupling waveguides have reported insertion losses below 3.5 dB [13], [15], [22], [23], however, those are not integrated with silicon nitride waveguides.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Broadband 1 x 4 Silicon Nitride Photonic Switch Fabricated on a Hybrid Electrothermal and Electrostatic MEMS Platform

Barazani

Gascon

Coia

et al. 2023

J. Lightwave Technol.

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This study demonstrates a monolithic 1 x 4 optical switch composed of a planar micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) integrated with silicon nitride (SiN) waveguides. The switching motion is induced by an optimized cascaded chevron electrothermal actuator, which produces an analog, precise, and large stroke for low voltages. Nanoscale displacement measurements show a repeatability on the order of 10 nm and a total switching displacement of ~12 µm for about 10 V. To reduce the insertion losses, a parallel plate electrostatic actuator closes the gap between the waveguides after the switching motion. The optical transmission, measured for 10 devices, is roughly the same across the entire 1520-1620 nm wavelength range. The average optical losses are 4.0 ± 1.9, 4.4 ± 2.0, 4.9 ± 1.9, and 4.1 ± 1.2 dB for ports 1 to 4 respectively, while the average optical crosstalk is smaller than -35 dB. The relatively compact switch (< 1 mm 2 ), considering its large displacement, is built on a silicon-on-insulator wafer with a customized fabrication process flow developed by AEPONYX Inc. We believe that this device can lead the way to a new class of small and robust MEMS integrated silicon photonic devices able to operate over a wide wavelength span and to provide a large tuning range for low voltages. Future work will focus on reducing the switch optical losses and on achieving near zero power consumption with the addition of mechanical latches.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broadband 1 x 4 Silicon Nitride Photonic Switch Fabricated on a Hybrid Electrothermal and Electrostatic MEMS Platform

Barazani

Gascon

Coia

et al. 2023

J. Lightwave Technol.

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“…The switching bandwidth should be >1 kHz to permit neural stimulation at the temporal resolution of a single action potential. On-chip optical switches in SiN have been implemented using MEMS, 146 piezoelectric materials, 147 and the thermo-optic effect. 131,148 Thermo-optic switches are the easiest to implement since they only require the integration of a resistive metal layer, often TiN, near the waveguide.…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of wafer-scale multifunctional nanophotonic neural probes for brain activity mapping

Chen,

Sharma,

Roszko

et al. 2024

Lab Chip

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“…[20][21][22] However, only a few optical switches incorporating SiN x as the core waveguide material have been reported. [50][51][52][53][54] Considering the low optical loss and commercial availability of SiN x waveguides, we have chosen this as the core waveguide material for the designed MEMS adiabatic coupler.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broadband Microelectromechanical Systems‐Based Silicon Nitride Photonic Switch

Swain,

Zawierta,

Gurusamy

et al. 2023

Advanced Photonics Research

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Over the past three decades, silicon photonic devices have been core to the realization of large‐scale photonic‐integrated circuits. However, silicon nitride is another key complementary metal oxide semiconductor‐compatible material for high‐density photonic‐integrated circuits, having low manufacturing costs, low optical losses, and excellent mechanical properties, that can provide enhanced performance over silicon in an integrated photonic platform. This article presents the design, fabrication, and testing of a proof‐of‐concept switchable silicon nitride photonic coupler that leverages these properties combined with microelectromechanical systems actuation. The photonic platform uses a moveable suspended waveguide to enable efficient out‐of‐plane switching and is built using conventional lithographic techniques to demonstrate the high compatibility with existing microelectronic fabrication techniques. The photonic switch is measured to have an insertion loss of 2.6 dB and an ON/OFF extinction ratio of 34 dB at the output of the suspended waveguide, at a wavelength of 1470 nm. Detailed simulations demonstrate broadband operation over a 600 nm wavelength range from 1.25 to 1.85 μm which is experimentally validated over the range from 1.25 to 1.61 μm. To the best of knowledge, this is the broadest operation range ever demonstrated by a photonic switch in simulation.

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Integrated 1 × 3 MEMS silicon nitride photonics switch

Cited by 15 publications

References 31 publications

Broadband 1 x 4 Silicon Nitride Photonic Switch Fabricated on a Hybrid Electrothermal and Electrostatic MEMS Platform

Broadband 1 x 4 Silicon Nitride Photonic Switch Fabricated on a Hybrid Electrothermal and Electrostatic MEMS Platform

Development of wafer-scale multifunctional nanophotonic neural probes for brain activity mapping

Broadband Microelectromechanical Systems‐Based Silicon Nitride Photonic Switch

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