Continuously Tunable Silicon Photonic MEMS $2 \times 2$ Power Coupler

Abstract

The integration of MEMS transducers in photonic integrated circuits provides opportunities for high efficiency photonic modulation and dynamic routing on-chip. We here present an electrostatically actuated, silicon photonic MEMS $2 \times 2$ power coupler, fabricated in IMEC's iSiPP50G platform followed by a dedicated MEMS release sequence. The in-plane, mechanical tuning mechanism provides analog power coupling between waveguides in a small form factor. With our experimental demonstration of broad, > 30 nm optical bandwidth, high extinction ratio of > 27 dB, and a low actuation voltage of only 6 V, the coupler fulfills the requirements for large-scale integration in next generation reconfigurable PICs.