Low power and compact reconfigurable multiplexing devices based on silicon microring resonators

We present thermally reconfigurable multiplexing devices based on silicon microring resonators with low tuning power and low thermal crosstalk. Micro-heaters on top of the rings are employed to tune the resonant wavelengths through the thermo-optic effect of silicon. We achieve a low tuning power of 21 mW per free spectral range for a single ring by exploiting thermal isolation trenches close to the ring waveguides. Negligible thermal crosstalk is demonstrated for rings spaced by 15 mu m, enabling compact multiplexing devices. The tuning time constant is demonstrated to be less than 10 mu s. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America