Multilayer stacked crystalline silicon switch with nanosecond-order switching time

Abstract

To realize compact and denser photonic integrated circuits, three-dimensional integration has been widely accepted and researched. In this article, we demonstrate the operation of a 3D integrated silicon photonic platform fabricated through wafer bonding. Benefiting from the wafer bonding process, the material of all layers is c-Si, which ensures that the mobility is high enough to achieve a nanosecond response via the p-i-n diode shifter. Optical components, including multimode interferences (MMIs), waveguide crossing, and Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI)-based switch, are fabricated in different layers and exhibit great performance. The interlayer coupler and crossing achieve a 0.98 dB coupling loss and <−43.58 dB cross talk, while the crossing fabricated in the same layer shows <−36.00 dB cross talk. A nanosecond-order switch response is measured in different layers.