Reflection spectra of a thin-film GeSbTe diffraction grating on a silicon nitride waveguide

Abstract

Recent advances in nanophotonics are due to the implication of new approaches to the photonic devices and components design, not only related to structural features, such as subwavelength periodic arrangements, but also new materials, e.g., phase-change materials like GeSbTe (GST) alloys. We consider recently proposed optical non-volatile GST memory cell with a GST diffraction grating instead of a continuous film placed on a silicon nitride waveguide. The grating allows diminishing the energy budget of an incident electromagnetic beam in case of an optically induced phase transition of GST due to excitation of the resonant guided mode in the grating. The excitation of this mode results in anomalous reflectance spectra of the waveguide-grating structure. Here, we present the reflection spectra of GST diffraction gratings on a silicon nitride waveguide calculated with the use of the matrix Riccati equation technique in the theory of multiple electromagnetic wave scattering in inhomogeneous media. We show how the reflection changes with variation of different parameters – grating period and height, incident wave polarization, and phase of the GST film.