Two-mode interference photonic waveguide switch

Based on the two-mode interference principle and the free-carrier plasma dispersion effect, a two-mode interference (TMI) photonic waveguide switch with double carrier injection has been designed and fabricated for application in fiber-optic communications. It consists of an input Y-branch with single-mode ridge waveguides, a TMI waveguide coupling section, and an output Y-branch with single-mode ridge waveguides. The single-mode waveguides and the two-mode waveguide are composed of a SiGe waveguide layer on a Si substrate. The width of the TMI region of the switch is two times that of the single-mode waveguide. On the top of the TMI region and one side of the TMI region, two abrupt p-n junctions are made to inject the carriers into the optical modulation region; on the other side of the TMI region, an abrupt carrier collection region is made to collect the carriers when they are forward biased, so that the double carrier injection photonic waveguide switch has the lowest injection current density. The waveguide layers are made of SiGe/Si material, and the rib waveguides are realized by reactive ion etching. The carrier injection regions and the carrier collection region are formed by ion implantation. The input and output facets of the waveguides were ground and polished by a mechanical method. The switch was characterized by using a 1310-nm InGaAsP/InP heterostructure laser diode. Its insertion loss and ON-state crosstalk were measured to be 2.74 and -15.5 dB, respectively, at a total switching current of 110 mA. The switching time is 180 ns, and the fastest switching time is up to 30 ns.