Nonvolatile electrically reconfigurable silicon photonics enabled by back-end-of-line integration of phase change materials

Abstract

Nonvolatile light-field manipulation via electrically-driven phase transition of chalcogenide phase change materials (PCMs) is regarded as one of the most powerful solutions to low-power-consumption and compact integrated reconfigurable photonics. However, before the breakthrough in large-scale integration approaches linked to wafer foundries, phase-change non-volatile reconfigurable photonics could hardly see their widespread practical applications. Here we demonstrate nonvolatile photonic devices fabricated by back-end-of-line (BOEL) integration of PCMs into the commercial silicon photonics platform. A narrow trench etched into the BOEL dielectric layer exposed the waveguide core and allowed for the direct deposition of various PCM films on the waveguide in the functional areas. Fine-tuning the nonvolatile phase transition of Sb2Se3 via a PIN microheater was verified by realizing the post-fabrication trimming of silicon photonic devices. Our work highlights a reliable platform for large-scale PCM-integrated photonics and validates its precise nonvolatile reconfigurability.