Low power consumption piezoelectrically tuned racetrack microring resonator based on polymer composite cantilever

A piezoelectrically tuned polymer-nanocomposite racetrack microring resonator is proposed that leverages the mechanical compliance of a low-modulus PMMA-based cantilever to achieve full FSR wavelength tuning at low voltages. The device integrates PMMA as the flexible cladding and primary cantilever body, a high-refractive-index IOC-133 polymer as the waveguide core, and a PZT actuator atop the suspended cantilever. A co-optimized design using FDTD and FEM simulations yields a 450 μm circumference racetrack with an FSR of 2.8 nm at 1,550 nm and a quality factor of 1.19 × 10⁴ with <i>V_π</i> = 4.2 V and <i>V_πL</i> = 0.189 Vcm. Applying 8.4 V bias enables tuning across the full FSR. Compared with inorganic-based piezoelectric cantilevers, the required drive voltage is reduced by an order of magnitude. The compact footprint and low power consumption position this microring modulator as a scalable solution for energy-efficient, reconfigurable wavelength-division-multiplexing in photonic integrated circuits.