A silicon-polymer hybrid modulator-design, simulation and proof of principle

Roland Himmelhuber, Oscar D. Herrera, Ram Voorakaranam, Li Li, Adam M. Jones, Robert A. Norwood, Jingdong Luo, Alex K.Y. Jen, Nasser Peyghambarian

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

Optimal dimensions are found for the silicon waveguide in an electro-optic (EO) polymer cladding-based silicon waveguide modulator. The confinement factor as well as the effective index of the mode are taken into account. The influence of the coplanar electrode spacing and electrode height on performance are examined and a figure of merit formula for choosing the optimal device geometry is shown. The design space for both 1550 nm and 1310 nm wavelengths is explored. With the optimal 275 nm waveguide width and 4 μm electrode spacing, a V \pi of a few volts can be achieved even with moderate r33 EO polymers. Experimental results on a fabricated modulator are shown and compared with the predicted performance.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number6623114
Pages (from-to)4067-4072
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Lightwave Technology
Volume31
Issue number24
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 15 2013

Keywords

  • Electro-optic modulators
  • optical polymers
  • optical waveguides
  • semiconductor waveguides
  • silicon devices

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A silicon-polymer hybrid modulator-design, simulation and proof of principle'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this