Design of Ultra-Compact Optical Memristive Switches with GST as the Active Material

Abstract

In the following study, we propose optical memristive switches consisting of a silicon waveguide integrated with phase-change material Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST). Thanks to its high refractive index contrast between the crystalline and amorphous states, a miniature-size GST material can offer a high switching extinction ratio. We optimize the device design by using finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) simulations. A device with a length of 4.7 μm including silicon waveguide tapers exhibits a high extinction ratio of 33.1 dB and a low insertion loss of 0.48 dB around the 1550 nm wavelength. The operation bandwidth of the device is around 60 nm.