Switching can be performed with multiple physical dimensions of an optical signal. Previously optical switching was mainly focused in the wavelength domain. In this paper we discuss the general architecture of integrated silicon photonic switches by exploiting multi-dimensions in wavelength, polarization, and mode. To route a data channel from one input port to an arbitrary output port in a network node, three basic functions are required: de-multiplexing, switching, and multiplexing. The multiplexing and de-multiplexing processes can be realized in any one physical dimension. The capacity of a switch can be effectively scaled by using joint physical dimensions. As two examples, we first present a wavelength switch based on dual-nanobeam cavities with high quality factors, a low power consumption, and a compact footprint. We then propose a design of a mode-polarization-wavelength selective switch by leveraging three physical dimensions, and experimentally demonstrate the building blocks and key functionalities.

中文翻译：

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波长、偏振和模式硅光子开关的架构和器件

可以使用光信号的多个物理维度来执行切换。以前光交换主要集中在波长域。在本文中，我们通过利用波长、偏振和模式的多维来讨论集成硅光子开关的一般架构。要将数据通道从一个输入端口路由到网络节点中的任意输出端口，需要三个基本功能：解复用、交换和复用。复用和解复用过程可以在任何一个物理维度上实现。通过使用联合物理尺寸，可以有效地扩展交换机的容量。作为两个例子，我们首先展示了一种基于双纳米光束腔的波长开关，具有高质量、低功耗和紧凑的占地面积。