Multiport Programmable Silicon Photonics Using Low-Loss Phase Change Material Sb<sub>2</sub>Se<sub>3</sub>.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42007606.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c05838 and PMC identifier 13133916.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Achieving an optimal platform to enable compact, efficient, and scalable reconfigurability is critical for next-generation technologies for large-scale photonic processors. Optical phase-change materials (PCMs) offer a compelling solution, and in particular Sb<sub>2</sub>Se<sub>3</sub> stands out for its ultra-low-loss characteristics. Here, we present an experimental platform capable of encoding multiport operations onto the transmission matrix of a compact multimode interferometer architecture on standard 220 nm silicon photonics. The multiport devices are clad with a thin film of Sb<sub>2</sub>Se<sub>3</sub>, and direct laser writing induces local perturbations to the refractive index. A range of multiport geometries from 2 × 2 up to 5 × 5 couplers are demonstrated, achieving simultaneous control of up to 25 matrix elements with programming accuracy of 90% relative to simulated patterns and consistent optical performance across the C-band. Our work establishes a pathway toward the development of large-scale reconfigurable multiport devices on areas several orders of magnitude smaller than interferometer meshes.