In their work, the team makes use of multimode interference (MMI) devices, which are said to form a versatile class of integrated optical elements routinely used for splitting and recombining different signals on a chip. MMI geometry is said to predefine a chip’s characteristics at the fabrication stage.
The research has shown that interplay between many modes travelling through the MMI can be controlled dynamically. A pattern of local perturbations, induced by a femtosecond laser, acts to effectively shape the transmitted light. This is said to allow light to be routed freely in a static silicon element and this could act as a building block for field programmable photonics.
Researcher Roman Bruck from the University of Southampton, noted: “We have demonstrated a very general approach to beam shaping on a chip that provides a wide range of useful functionalities to integrated circuits. The integrated spatial light modulator turns conventional silicon photonics components into versatile reconfigurable elements.£
Practical applications of this technology are said to include all-optical reconfigurable routers, ultrafast optical modulators and switches for optical networks and microwave photonic circuits as well as wafer-scale optical testing of photonic chips.
Principal investigator Professor Otto Muskens, from Southampton, added: “There are many new directions to explore, from gaining a deeper understanding to application of the new concepts into real world devices. This is a potentially disruptive new approach toward field programmable chips which can enhance and complement existing strategies, or even partially replace current technology.”
