Recently, reconfigurable photonic functionalities have attracted attention in photonic information processing, especially optoelectronic computations. Here we show our recently studies of reconfigurable photonics using phase-change materials, GST. We created nano-scale patterns of GST thin films on various 2D silicon photonic crystals, and have succeeded in controlling their optical properties by the crystal phase change of GST. As a first example, we put nano-scale GST patterns on photonic crystal nanocavities, in which we tune the resonance and transmittance of the nanocavities. Secondly, we put them on photonic crystal waveguides, and demonstrated on-demand creation and annihilation of cavities by the phase change, As a last example, we put them on topological photonic crystals, and demonstrate that one can create and annihilate the photonic topological insulating phase by the material phase change of GST. Since the photonic topological phase is usually created at the fabrication process, our result enables a dynamic control of the topological insulating phase. Our achievements may pave the way for various reconfigurable functionalities in nanophotonic integrated circuits.
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