Abstract
We propose and analyse a GaAs-based optical switch having a ring resonator configuration which can switch optical telecommunication signals over the 1300 nm and 1500 nm bands, using bias assisted carrier injection as the switching mechanism. The switching is achieved through variation in the refractive index of the ring resonator produced by changing the injected carrier density through the application of bias voltage. Detail analysis of the switching characteristics reveals that the amount of switching depends on the refractive index change, which indeed is a strong function of injected carrier density and applied bias voltage. An isolation of 25 dB can be achieved during the ON state, while more than 40 dB isolation is realised during the OFF state. More importantly, our analysis shows that the proposed GaAs-based switch can operate over the 1300 nm and 1500 nm optical telecommunication bands, that are much farther from the bandgap of the GaAs material, without the need for "conventional" Indium based ternary and quaternary semiconductor materials. It therefore extends the usable wavelength of GaAs based optoelectronic devices. Furthermore, we have presented detail calculations to quantify power-delay metric of the proposed device. The proposed optical switch maintains a smaller footprint as when compared to Mach-Zehnder Interferometer or Directional Coupler based switches therefore, making it suitable for large scale integration and implementing next generation optical interconnects, optical communication and computing.
Highlights
Optical switches that can switch optical signals from one channel to another in response to a control signal constitute an important functional block in optical communication systems, optical signal processing and optical computing [1]
We propose and analyse a GaAs based optical switch that combines the advantages of ring resonators for wavelength selection and electrical bias assisted CI mechanism for injected carriers to alter the refractive index (RI) of the ring, to modify the resonant condition of the ring for switching the resonant optical signal between the two ports
We have proposed and analyzed GaAs double microring resonator optical switch using bias assisted carrier injection as the refractive index modulating mechanism
Summary
Optical switches that can switch optical signals from one channel to another in response to a control signal constitute an important functional block in optical communication systems, optical signal processing and optical computing [1]. The EA effect requires the material to have a bandgap close to the photon energy of the optical signal to be switched, and is polarisation sensitive [7] This imposes severe restrictions on the choice of semiconductor materials that can be used for the switch as well as the operational wavelength at which the switch can function. We propose and analyse a GaAs based optical switch that combines the advantages of ring resonators for wavelength selection and electrical bias assisted CI mechanism for injected carriers to alter the RI of the ring, to modify the resonant condition of the ring for switching the resonant optical signal between the two ports. A detail electrical switching performance of the device is assessed thereafter in Section 4, followed by conclusion
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