Nonvolatile phase correction method and optoelectronic device

Abstract

The invention relates to a nonvolatile phase correction method and a photoelectronic device, and the method comprises the steps: integrating a phase change material on a waveguide of the photoelectronic device; by changing the state of the phase change material, the initial phase difference of the optoelectronic device is corrected. The optoelectronic device comprises a phase change material and an adjusting device. The phase change material is integrated on the waveguide. The adjusting device is used for changing the state of the phase change material so as to correct the initial phase difference of the optoelectronic device. According to the method, the initial phase of the designed optoelectronic device can be corrected, and the method has non-volatility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of silicon-based optoelectronic devices, and in particular to a non-volatile phase correction method and an optoelectronic device. Background Art

[0002] Thanks to the high integration and low cost of microelectronics and the large bandwidth and low loss of optoelectronics, silicon-based optoelectronic technology has been widely used in optical communications, optical computing, optical sensing and other fields. Silicon-based optoelectronic devices, including optical switches, electro-optic modulators, arrayed waveguide gratings, optical phased arrays, etc., all rely on the control of the phase of light transmitted through the waveguide to achieve the corresponding functions. However, due to factors such as process errors and sidewall roughness, the initial phase of the actual silicon-based optoelectronic devices is often inconsistent with the design value, which affects the performance of the device.

[0003] In silicon-based optoelectronic devices, thermo-optic modulation is often used to correct the initial phase of the device. However, the phase modulation achieved based on the thermo-optic effect of silicon materials is weak (Δn<0.01), resulting in low modulation efficiency and requiring a longer phase shift arm or higher power consumption. Moreover, the phase modulation based on the thermo-optic effect is volatile, that is, a constant voltage is required to maintain its state, and the static power consumption increases sharply with the degree of integration. Summary of the invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a non-volatile phase correction method and an optoelectronic device, which can correct the initial phase of a designed optoelectronic device and have non-volatility.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is: to provide a non-volatile phase correction method, comprising the following steps:

[0006] Integrating phase change materials (PCM) on waveguides of optoelectronic devices;

[0007] By changing the state of the phase change material, the initial phase difference of the optoelectronic device can be corrected.

[0008] The step of integrating the phase change material on the waveguide of the optoelectronic device specifically comprises: patterning the phase change material on the surface of the waveguide.

[0009] The step of integrating the phase change material on the waveguide of the optoelectronic device specifically includes: designing the phase change material into a micro-nano structure and integrating it on the waveguide.

[0010] The phase change material is Ge2Sb2Te5, Ge2Sb2Se4Te1, Sb2Se3, Sb2S3, GeTe or GeSe.

[0011] When the state of the phase change material is changed, the state of the phase change material is changed by laser pulse excitation.

[0012] When the state of the phase change material is changed, the state of the phase change material is changed by means of an electro-induced phase change, wherein the type of heater used for the electro-induced phase change is a silicon resistor, a pin heater, graphene or indium tin oxide.

[0013] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is: to provide an optoelectronic device, including a phase change material and an adjustment device, wherein the phase change material is integrated on a waveguide; the adjustment device is used to change the state of the phase change material to correct the initial phase difference of the optoelectronic device.

[0014] The phase change material is Ge2Sb2Te5, Ge2Sb2Se4Te1, Sb2Se3, Sb2S3, GeTe or GeSe.

[0015] The adjusting device is a laser.

[0016] The regulating device is a heater, and the type of the heater is a silicon resistor, a pin heater, graphene or indium tin oxide.

[0017] Beneficial Effects

[0018] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the present invention has the following advantages and positive effects compared with the prior art: the present invention integrates phase change materials on the waveguide of the optoelectronic device, and corrects the initial phase difference of the optoelectronic device by changing the state of the phase change material. Since the phase change material is non-volatile, that is, it does not require a constant voltage to maintain its state, it can reduce static power consumption; the refractive index contrast between the crystalline and amorphous states of the phase change material is high, and the modulation efficiency is high, which can reduce the size of the device or reduce power consumption; the phase change of the phase change material is reversible and has high repeatability, which can improve the stability of the optoelectronic device, especially in large-scale optical switching networks, using phase change materials to achieve phase correction can significantly reduce the size of large-scale optical networks, reduce power consumption, and improve the stability of optical networks. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an MZI structure in which a phase change material is integrated on a phase shift arm in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of an MZI structure in which a phase change material micro-nano structure is integrated on a phase shift arm in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that after reading the content taught by the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications to the present invention, and these equivalent forms fall within the scope limited by the appended claims of the application equally.

[0022] The first embodiment of the present invention relates to a non-volatile phase correction method, which specifically includes: integrating a phase change material on a waveguide of an optoelectronic device; and correcting the initial phase difference of the optoelectronic device by changing the state of the phase change material. The phase change materials that can be selected in this embodiment include Ge2Sb2Te5, Ge2Sb2Se4Te1, Sb2Se3, Sb2S3, GeTe, GeSe, etc.

[0023] By integrating phase change materials into optoelectronic devices, the phase change of phase change materials is used to correct the initial phase of the designed optoelectronic devices. Phase change materials can undergo rapid and reversible phase transitions under the induction of light / electric pulses, and the optical properties of phase change materials before and after the phase transition will show huge differences. Its characteristics are as follows: (1) The refractive index difference between the crystalline and amorphous states of phase change materials is large, which can achieve strong optical modulation; (2) There are multiple intermediate states between the crystalline and amorphous states; (3) It is non-volatile and does not require additional power consumption to maintain its state, which can reduce static power consumption; (4) It has high repeatability, which can improve the stability of the device.

[0024] In this embodiment, the phase change material is integrated on the waveguide of the optoelectronic device, and the phase change material can be patterned on the surface of the waveguide. In this embodiment, the phase change material is integrated on the waveguide of the optoelectronic device, and the phase change material can be designed into a micro-nano structure and integrated on the waveguide, which can increase the design freedom and the flexibility of the phase change material regulation.

[0025] In this embodiment, when changing the state of the phase change material, the state of the phase change material can be changed by laser pulse excitation, or by electro-induced phase change, wherein the type of heater used for the electro-induced phase change is a silicon resistor, a pin heater, graphene or indium tin oxide (ITO).

[0026] A second embodiment of the present invention relates to an optoelectronic device, comprising a phase change material and an adjusting device, wherein the phase change material is integrated on a waveguide; the adjusting device is used to change the state of the phase change material to correct the initial phase difference of the optoelectronic device.

[0027] The present embodiment is further described below by taking a 2×2 MZI structure as an example.

[0028] The 2×2 MZI structure consists of a beam splitter, a phase shift arm, and a coupler. Affected by factors such as process manufacturing errors and sidewall roughness, the initial phase difference between the two phase shift arms of the device actually manufactured deviates from the design value. Since the refractive index difference between the crystalline and amorphous states of the phase change material is large, there are many intermediate states between the crystalline and amorphous states, and it has high repeatability. Therefore, in this embodiment, the phase change material is integrated on the phase shift arm, such as Figure 1 As shown, by changing the state of the phase change material, the initial phase difference between the two phase shift arms can be corrected. In this embodiment, the phase change material can be integrated in only one phase shift arm, or in both phase shift arms. In addition, in this embodiment, the phase change material can be designed in the form of a micro-nano structure and integrated with the phase shift arm (see Figure 2 ) to increase the degree of freedom in design and the flexibility of phase change material regulation. The phase change materials selected in this embodiment include Ge2Sb2Te5, Ge2Sb2Se4Te1, Sb2Se3, Sb2S3, GeTe, GeSe, etc. The phase change method of the phase change material can be achieved by adding an external light pulse, such as the pulse light output by a laser; the phase change method of the phase change material can also be achieved by an electro-induced phase change method, and the types of heaters used for the electro-induced phase change include silicon resistors, pin heaters, graphene, indium tin oxide (ITO), etc.

[0029] It is not difficult to find that the present invention integrates phase change materials on the waveguide of the optoelectronic device, and realizes the correction of the initial phase difference of the optoelectronic device by changing the state of the phase change material. Since the phase change material is non-volatile, that is, it does not require a constant voltage to maintain its state, it can reduce static power consumption; the refractive index contrast between the crystalline and amorphous states of the phase change material is high, and the modulation efficiency is high, which can reduce the size of the device or reduce power consumption; the phase change of the phase change material is reversible and has high repeatability, which can improve the stability of the optoelectronic device. In particular, the use of phase change materials to achieve phase correction in large-scale optical switching networks can significantly reduce the size of large-scale optical networks, reduce power consumption, and improve the stability of optical networks.

Claims

1. A non-volatile phase correction method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Integrating phase change materials on waveguides in optoelectronic devices; By changing the state of the phase change material, the initial phase difference of the optoelectronic device can be corrected.

2. The non-volatile phase correction method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of integrating the phase change material on the waveguide of the optoelectronic device specifically comprises: patterning the phase change material on the surface of the waveguide.

3. The non-volatile phase correction method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of integrating the phase change material on the waveguide of the optoelectronic device specifically includes: designing the phase change material into a micro-nano structure and integrating it on the waveguide.

4. The non-volatile phase correction method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The phase change material is Ge2Sb2Te5, Ge2Sb2Se4Te1, Sb2Se3, Sb2S3, GeTe or GeSe.

5. The non-volatile phase correction method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the state of the phase change material is changed, laser pulse excitation is used to change the state of the phase change material.

6. The non-volatile phase correction method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the state of the phase change material is changed, the state of the phase change material is changed by means of an electro-induced phase change, wherein the type of heater used for the electro-induced phase change is a silicon resistor, a pin heater, graphene or indium tin oxide.

7. An optoelectronic device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a phase change material and an adjusting device, wherein the phase change material is integrated on a waveguide; and the adjusting device is used for changing the state of the phase change material to correct the initial phase difference of an optoelectronic device.

8. The optoelectronic device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The phase change material is Ge2Sb2Te5, Ge2Sb2Se4Te1, Sb2Se3, Sb2S3, GeTe or GeSe.

9. The optoelectronic device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The adjusting device is a laser.

10. The optoelectronic device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The regulating device is a heater, and the type of the heater is a silicon resistor, a pin heater, graphene or indium tin oxide.

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