Versatile wavelength-selective PZT photonic chips

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Authors: Chenlei Li, Tao Shu, Yueyang Zhang, Cunyu Shi, Wei Chen, Jianghao He, Fei Huang, Lijia Song, Zejie Yu, Ming Zhang
Cited by: 0

Abstract

Wavelength-selective light manipulation lies at the heart of modern photonic systems, enabling fundamental operations such as modulation, routing, equalization, and filtering but remains hard to scale because of tight tolerances, power-hungry heaters, and complex control. Here, we introduce a ferroelectric PZT thin-film platform that unites nonvolatile programmability with ultrafast electro-optic switching. Leveraging field-dependent domain dynamics, sub-threshold fields set precise, multi-level, memory-like trims; supra-threshold fields drive low-power, high-speed modulation. We implement highly-scalable cascaded, bend-free, circulator-free multimode Fabry–Perot cavities (2×1 and 2×2) as compact, repeatable building blocks. The same chip is able to be configured as versatility demonstrations: a 40-channel optical I/O with shoreline bandwidth density >3.2 Tbps/mm and inter-channel alignment within 150 pm, an 8-channel amplitude equalizer, and a reconfigurable wavelength-selective switch. This architecture delivers energy-efficient, robust wavelength control without elaborate calibration, offering a scalable route to photonic systems for interconnects, sensing, and neuromorphic/quantum processing.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Photorefractive and Nonlinear Optics Photonic and Optical Devices Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Materials

Publication details

Journal / source
Figshare
Publication date
1 January 2026