Fast and low-power thermooptic switch on thin silicon-on-insulator

We have designed and fabricated Mach-Zehnder interferometer thermooptic switches using a wafer-bonded thinsilicon-on-insulator materials system. The thermally switched devices use single-mode strip waveguides with dimensions 0.26*0.6 (mu)m/sup 2/, operating at a wavelength of (lambda)=1.55(mu)m. Useful device characteristics include a low switching power, 50 mW, and a fast rise time of <3.5 (mu)s. These results demonstrate the potential of this high-index-contrast materials system for the design of fast and low-power thermooptic switches and as an active element in photonic integrated circuits.