O-band N-rich silicon nitride MZI based on GST

Abstract

We have experimentally demonstrated an O-band Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based on a N-rich silicon nitride platform combined with Ge2Sb2Te5 for future optical communication applications. The device operation relies on controlling the waveguide’s losses using a phase change material cell which can be changed from amorphous (lowloss) to crystalline (high-loss). An extinction ratio (ER) as high as 11 dB was obtained between the amorphous (ON) and the crystalline (OFF) states of the MZI optical building block. The insertion loss of the MZI structure per cell unit length was measured to be as high as 0.87 dB/µm in OFF state and as low as 0.064 dB/µm in ON state for TM polarisation.