The invention relates to a photonic component for setting non-volatile operational states, comprising:- at least one light-guiding structure (3) formed in a silicon layer of a silicon-on-insulator substrate (2);- at least one switching element (4) formed by an optical phase change material (8) and a heating structure (7) underneath thereof, wherein the at least one switching element (4) is laterally neighbored to the at least one light-guiding structure (3) so as to provide an evanescent coupling between the at least one light-guiding structure (3) and at least one switching element (4);wherein the heating structure (7) of the switching element (4) is formed by a thinned portion of the silicon layer (22) of the silicon-on-insulator-substrate (2) with the lowest silicon thickness to provide a current path through the silicon layer (22), particularly along the direction of arrangement of the at least one light-guiding structure (3) and the at least one switching element (4), so that the current density of the current path is highest in the heating structure (7) of the at least one switching element (4).