Investigation of Thermo-Optic Effect in SOI Waveguide Arrays

A theoretical investigation of thermo-optic effect in silicon-on-insulator rib waveguide arrays is presented. Two types of array arrangements are described, with the aim to find the configuration in which the heat is efficiently guided from the heater through the waveguide core without noticeably affecting the other adjacent waveguides. One of these array designs provides excellent thermal and optical separation between waveguides and efficient heat flow, allowing smaller switching power and faster response to be simultaneously achieved. Good thermal isolation for closely spaced SOI waveguide structures is very promising for the realization of dense photonic integrated circuits.