Synchronous micromechanically resonant programmable photonic circuits

Mark Dong (), Julia M. Boyle, Kevin J. Palm, Matthew Zimmermann, Alex Witte, Andrew J. Leenheer, Daniel Dominguez, Gerald Gilbert, Matt Eichenfield and Dirk Englund
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Mark Dong: The MITRE Corporation
Julia M. Boyle: The MITRE Corporation
Kevin J. Palm: The MITRE Corporation
Matthew Zimmermann: The MITRE Corporation
Alex Witte: The MITRE Corporation
Andrew J. Leenheer: Sandia National Laboratories
Daniel Dominguez: Sandia National Laboratories
Gerald Gilbert: The MITRE Corporation
Matt Eichenfield: Sandia National Laboratories
Dirk Englund: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Programmable photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are emerging as powerful tools for control of light, with applications in quantum information processing, optical range finding, and artificial intelligence. Low-power implementations of these PICs involve micromechanical structures driven capacitively or piezoelectrically but are often limited in modulation bandwidth by mechanical resonances and high operating voltages. Here we introduce a synchronous, micromechanically resonant design architecture for programmable PICs and a proof-of-principle 1×8 photonic switch using piezoelectric optical phase shifters. Our design purposefully exploits high-frequency mechanical resonances and optically broadband components for larger modulation responses on the order of the mechanical quality factor Qm while maintaining fast switching speeds. We experimentally show switching cycles of all 8 channels spaced by approximately 11 ns and operating at 4.6 dB average modulation enhancement. Future advances in micromechanical devices with high Qm, which can exceed 10000, should enable an improved series of low-voltage and high-speed programmable PICs.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42866-3

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