Silicon waveguide optical switch with embedded phase change material.
Phase change materials (PCMs) have emerged as promising active elements in silicon (Si) photonic systems. In this work, we design, fabricate, and characterize a hybrid Si PCM optical switch. By integrating vanadium dioxide (a PCM) within a Si photonic waveguide, in a non resonant geometry, we achieve ~10 dB broadband optical contrast with a PCM length of 500 nm using thermal actuation.
Optics express