Abstract
Optical circulators that unidirectionally route light could lead to bidirectional operations in applications in data centers and telecommunications, as well as sensors. In this work, to the best of our knowledge, we present the first realization of integrated optical circulators on silicon that are electrically driven and dynamically reconfigurable. The proposed device utilizes silicon microrings with a bonded magneto-optic cladding alongside an integrated electromagnet for nonreciprocal behavior. This novel approach does not use a permanent magnet and, for this reason, it is more attractive for packaging and further integration with lasers and other photonic devices. We use this device architecture to demonstrate 4- and 6-port optical circulators with up to 14.4 dB of isolation and propose a framework to extend the design to an arbitrary number of ports. Finally, we demonstrate that it is possible to switch the electromagnet and reconfigure the circulator on a sub-nanosecond timescale, potentially adding a new level of device functionality.
Highlights
Optical isolators and circulators are nonreciprocal devices that allow for the unidirectional propagation of light [1]
Optical circulators are many-port devices that act as a roundabout for photons, with each input port routed to exactly one output port in a nonreciprocal fashion
We demonstrate heterogeneously integrated optical circulators on silicon operating in the transverse magnetic (TM) mode with up to 14.4 dB of isolation ratio
Summary
Optical isolators and circulators are nonreciprocal devices that allow for the unidirectional propagation of light [1]. Heterogeneous integration has been used to integrate vastly different materials, including III–V’s, LiNbO3, and Ce:YIG on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates in order to obtain optical gain and efficient nonlinear effects, as well as the desired optical nonreciprocity for silicon photonics [25,26]. A localized magnetic field is generated from an integrated microstrip that serves as an electromagnet and can be tailored to match various device geometries. We can achieve an arbitrary number of ports by expanding this device architecture even further, which may lead to novel reconfigurable optical networks and switches on-chip
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