Investigation of Polymer-Based 1×2 All-Optical Switches at C-Band Wavelength

Abstract

All-optical switches play a significant role in optical communication and signal processing using purely optical signals and offer efficient high-speed data transmission over conventional switches, which rely on optic–electronic conversions. This paper demonstrates 1 × 2 all-optical switches realized with the Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) and directional couplers (DCs) for next-generation high-speed computing systems. We numerically design and simulate this optical switch by using the commercially available RSoft CAD BeamPROP solver. The proposed switches leverage the combined influence of DCs to achieve precise control over switching states by demonstrating remarkable phase-shifting properties with phase differences of 4π/3 and π/2 between the MZI and DC. The optical switch exhibits excess losses (ELs) from 1.27 dB to 1.40 dB and crosstalk ranging from −13.303 dB to −11.034 dB in a wavelength range of 1.53–1.56 μm, and minimal EL and crosstalk are 1.27 dB and −13.303 dB at 1.55 μm. The proposed polymer-based 1 × 2 all-optical switches could be novel devices in high-speed data transmission for optical circuitry.