Programmable Mach–Zehnder Interferometer without bends for high density and integrated linear operation

Abstract The growth in computing demands driven by the advancements in artificial intelligence and data communication necessitate energy-efficient devices that can process information at high speeds and integrate seamlessly into compact platforms. Integrated photonic devices, networks of tunable Mach–Zehnder Interferometers (MZI) in particular, have emerged as a promising platform for performing linear computational tasks. The existing MZI networks suffer from having large footprint, significant losses and poor scalability. We present a novel design of MZI which does not have bends and, consequently, it has no bending losses, is significantly less complex and smaller than the conventional MZIs resulting in improved performance and enhanced device scalability. This work is a significant step towards the realization of larger and denser MZI networks enabling applications in both classical and quantum information processing tasks.