Non-volatile silicon-GSST multilevel optical switch

We present a high-efficiency silicon optical switch utilizing a silicon-GSST hybrid integrated waveguide. Optical wave propagating in the hybrid waveguide is modulated through the phase change of GSST. This phase change is triggered by electro-thermal heating from a PIN diode located beneath the GSST strip. We employ the hybrid integrated waveguide as a phase shifter and incorporate a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) structure to serve as an optical switch. The device supports over 1000 effective switching events. Additionally, multi-level switching is achieved on a single waveguide, offering 128 non-volatile transmission levels. Our research indicates significant potential applications in optical switching, computing, and storage.