A Silicon-on-Insulator-Based Thermo-Optic Waveguide Switch with Low Insertion Loss and Fast Response

A silicon-on-insulator-based thermo-optic waveguide switch integrated with spot size converters is designed and fabricated by inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching. The device shows good characteristics, including low insertion loss of 8±1dB for wavelength 1530--1580nm and fast response times of 4.6μs for rising edge and 1.9μs for falling edge. The extinction ratios of the two channels are 19.1 and 18dB, respectively.