Abstract
We fabricate and characterize a polarization-diversity 32 × 32 silicon photonics switch by newly introducing SiN overpass waveguides onto our nonduplicate polarization-diversity path-independent insertion-loss switch. The SiN overpass waveguides are used to simplify the optical paths with a uniform path length between the edge couplers and the switch matrix and significantly reduce the number of waveguide intersections. The switch chip is fabricated using a 300-mm silicon-on-insulator wafer pilot line. The fabricated switch comprises more than 7,600 components, making this the largest ever complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor-based silicon photonics circuit. The switch chip is electrically and optically packaged and evaluated for a sampled port connection with 32 paths, with an average on-chip loss of ∼35 dB and an average polarization-dependent loss of 3.2 dB where 75% of the measured paths exhibit a loss of less than 3 dB. The differential group delay is measured to be 1.7 ps. The performance can be further improved by optimizing the device design.
Highlights
A STRICTLY nonblocking multiport optical switch will be a key enabler for handling a large amount of data flow in telecom and datacom applications with low electric power consumption [1]
Some packaging technologies developed for electronic devices are available for large-scale silicon photonics switches with a high pin count
We proposed a novel “nonduplicate” polarization-diversity circuit based on the path-independent insertion loss (PILOSS) topology [8]
Summary
A STRICTLY nonblocking multiport optical switch will be a key enabler for handling a large amount of data flow in telecom and datacom applications with low electric power consumption [1]. Some packaging technologies developed for electronic devices are available for large-scale silicon photonics switches with a high pin count. In a polarization-diversity scheme, two identical switch matrices are generally required to handle two orthogonally polarized components This becomes a problem, for high-radix switches, such as 32 × 32 ports, because the area and numbers of control pins and circuits required for the switch are twice those required for a single switch matrix. We previously demonstrated a nonduplicate polarization-insensitive 8 × 8 switch [8] This diversity scheme has one drawback: excessive intersections on a particular path (7N – 4 intersections for an N × N switch) due to the embedded access waveguides in the switch matrix. The switch chip is designed and fabricated, and its polarization characteristics are evaluated
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.