Design of a digital, ultra-broadband electro-optic switch for reconfigurable optical networks-on-chip
- 11 December 2009
- journal article
- Published by Optica Publishing Group in Optics Express
- Vol. 17 (26), 23793-23808
- https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.17.023793
Abstract
We present a novel design for a noise-tolerant, ultra-broadband electro-optic switch, based on a Mach-Zehnder lattice (MZL) interferometer. We analyze the switch performance through rigorous optical simulations, for devices implemented in silicon-on-insulator with carrier-injection-based phase shifters. We show that such a MZL switch can be designed to have a step-like switching response, resulting in improved tolerance to drive-voltage noise and temperature variations as compared to a single-stage Mach-Zehnder switch. Furthermore, we show that degradation in switching crosstalk and insertion loss due to free-carrier absorption can be largely overcome by a MZL switch design. Finally, MZL switches can be designed for having an ultra-wide, temperature-insensitive optical bandwidth of more than 250nm. The proposed device shows good potential as a broadband optical switch in reconfigurable optical networks-on-chip.This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit:
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