A thermo-optic photonic switch

This paper reports a compact silicon-based thermo-optic switch using photonic wire waveguides. The switch is constructed in Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) configuration on a silicon substrate. The switching operation is achieved through thermo-optic effect. In the experiments, an extinction ratio about 25 dB at the wavelength of 1590 nm is obtained. The switching power is around 180 mW.