LNOI Wireless Switches Based on Optical Phased Arrays for On-Chip Communication

Abstract

On-chip optical wireless links are attracting a great deal of interest as they can provide a possible solution to overcome the drawbacks associated with wired connections. In this paper, we propose a new approach for on-chip communication using optical wireless switches based on thin-film lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) technology. The optical wireless switches exploit reconfigurable optical phased arrays (OPAs) both at the transmitter and at the receivers. We investigate the radiation characteristics and design criteria of the LN antenna element serving as a unit radiator in the OPAs. We then demonstrate the implementation of an on-chip optical wireless switch in a simple infinite homogeneous host medium and assuming a realistic multilayer structure configuration. Moreover, we examine the impact of various geometrical parameters and the fabrication imperfections on the device performance and provide a discussion on the design optimization. Our findings assess the feasibility of optical wireless switches based on LNOI technology for on-chip wireless communication.