Silicon optical switch monolithically integrated with driver electronics and its power efficient driving

We review our research on the photonic-electronic monolithic integration technology on the photonic SOI platform. Based on this technology, the large-current MOSFET was developed and monolithically integrated with the silicon thermo-optic (TO) Mach-Zehnder switch. Power efficient pulse-width modulation driving for the TO switch was demonstrated using this MOSFET as the driver electronics. This work enables the digital driving method for TO switches and proves the feasibility of incorporating TO-based modules into photonic-electronic convergence on the photonic SOI platform.