The invention provides a
silicon-based integrated multimode
optical switch and an optical channel switching method. The
optical switch comprises an arbitrary mode-
dual mode conversion module, a first-order mode demultiplexing module and a high-order mode
multiplexing module, wherein the arbitrary mode-
dual mode conversion module is formed by sequentially connecting a mode separation unit, a thermal optical phase shift unit and a mode combination unit through single-mode waveguides; the first-order mode demultiplexing module is used for
signal routing; and the high-order mode
multiplexing module is used for recovering routing signals to a required high-order mode. The arbitrary mode-
dual mode conversion module, the first-order mode demultiplexing module and the high-order mode
multiplexing module are sequentially connected through matched waveguides; wherein the mode separation unit is composed of three-core
coupling waveguides, the middle is a multi-mode
waveguide, and the two sides are single-mode waveguides; the mode combination unit is a Y-shaped
branch waveguide assisted by a sub-
wavelength grating, and the first-order mode demultiplexing module and the high-order mode multiplexing module are each composed of a dual-core (a multi-mode
waveguide and a single-mode waveguide)
coupling waveguide. The
optical switch architecture has the advantages of compact structure, high expansibility, low loss, low manufacturing difficulty, relatively low price and the like.