[摘要]:We demonstrate bistability in a submicron silicon optical phase shifter based on the photoelastic effect. The strain magnitude is electrically controlled by a piezoelectric thin film placed on top of the device. The hysteresis behavior of the piezoelectric response shows potential application as bistable device independent of the optical intensity. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3701587]