Plasmonic organic hybrid electro/optic modulators are among the most innovative light modulators fully compatible with the silicon photonics platform. In this context, modeling is instrumental to both computer-aided optimization and interpretation of experimental data. Due to the large computational resources required, modeling is usually limited to waveguide simulations. The first aim of this work to investigate an improved, physics-based description of the voltage-dependent electro/optic effect, leading to a multiphysics-augmented model of the modulator cross-section. Targeting the accuracy of full-wave, 3D modeling with moderate computational resources, the paper presents a novel mixed modal-FDTD simulation strategy that allows us to drastically reduce the number and complexity of 3D-FDTD simulations needed to accurately evaluate the modulator response. This framework is demonstrated on a device inspired by the literature.
Herein, an overview on the physics‐based and system‐oriented modeling of organic electro‐optic Mach–Zehnder modulators for optical communication systems is presented. State‐of‐the‐art solutions in electro‐optic organic materials and modulator designs are reviewed, with particular stress on silicon organic hybrid (SOH) and plasmonic organic hybrid (POH) solutions. Then, the physics‐based simulation of concentrated and traveling‐wave modulators is discussed both through 3D optical simulations and a combination of 2D and 3D models, where the modulator is partitioned into convenient subdomains. Neural network behavioral models are finally discussed and case studies are proposed on the physics‐based and system‐level simulation of SOH and POH Mach–Zehnder modulators.
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