Single-Mode Silicon Optical Switch with T-Shaped SiO2 Optical Waveguide as a Control Gate

Abstract

An electrooptic silicon switch and modulator are reported. A single-mode silicon optical switch with a T-shaped SiO2 optical waveguide as a control gate is studied by electromagnetic field simulation using the finite-difference time-domain method. It has been shown that signal light of λ=1.55 µm is attenuated by more than 30 dB under the illumination of control light of λ=0.85 µm. For a structure with an interaction length of 1 µm, it is estimated that the control light power of about 5.5 mW is needed. For a new structure with a long interaction length, the control light power is estimated to be about 44 µW when 50% of the transferred energy is consumed in the silicon core, the interaction area is 10 µm long, and the lifetime of carriers is 10 µs.