Development of Silicon Photonic MEMS Wavelength Switch Networks for Optical Communication Systems

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The growth of internet data traffic, driven by applications such as e-commerce, social media and cloudcomputing, continues to drive the development of low-cost, compact and high-performance opticalcomponents for high-speed optical data networks. Central to the operation of an optical communicationsystem are wavelength switch networks (WSNs), which route and connect data channels on demand. The datatransmission capacity of an optical network thus depends to a great extent on the number of wavelengthchannels and physical ports the WSNs can accommodate. Existing WSNs are typically based on free spacemicro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) switches, which are bulky and difficult to scale up to accommodateincreased data channel count. By leveraging the low cost and compactness of silicon photonic integratedcircuits (Si PICs) and the high performance of MEMS optical switches, this proposal aims to develop acompact, low-voltage and scalable WSN architecture based on the monolithic integration of Si PICs andMEMS on a CMOS-compatible chip. To mitigate fabrication-induced variations and improve device yield, theproject will employ a technique based on femtosecond laser irradiation for post-fabrication finetuning of Si PICs that does not require continuous power supply. The outcome of the project will be a fully functional WSN prototype that can be scaled to meet industry specifications and to provide a low-cost platform for realizing MEMS-enabled applications in Si PICs. The industry partner is Preciseley Microtechnology Corp., an Edmonton-based company with 16 years ofexperience in designing and manufacturing optical MEMS products for the telecom market. As a marketleader in MEMS technology, Preciseley has the experience and resource to capitalize on the technologydeveloped through the project and facilitate its immediate transfer to the market. The project will also bringdirect benefits to the Canadian economy through the training of highly-qualified personnel and thedevelopment of home-grown expertise in the photonics, semiconductor manufacturing and telecom sectors.