A Comprehensive Approach to LNOI Electro-Optic Modulator Design and Performances Optimizing

Abstract

Thin-film lithium niobate has gained significant attention in photonics due to its broad optical transparency, high refractive index, nonlinear coefficient, and substantial electro-optic coefficient. It holds great promise for developing electro-optic modulators with low loss, a compact size, and wide bandwidth. This study focuses on a meticulous investigation utilizing microwave photonics to establish a high-performance electro-optic modulator. Specifically, we analyze the optical mode field distribution and traveling wave electrode structure of lithium niobate thin-film materials. The proposed modulator achieves an impressive half-wave voltage-length product of 1.69 V·cm, a negligible metal loss of 0.01 dB/cm, and a substantial 3dB electro-optic bandwidth of 50 GHz. This research successfully realizes low-loss, high-efficiency LNOI electro-optical modulators, providing a strong foundation for large-scale integrated optoelectronic systems.

Machine-Learning-Assisted Instantaneous Frequency Measurement Method Based on Thin-Film Lithium Niobate on an Insulator Phase Modulator for Radar Detection

“…Thin-film lithium niobate combines the excellent electro-optical properties of lithium niobate with microfabrication processes to produce electro-optical modulators (EOM) with a compact size, low half-wave voltage, and high modulation bandwidth. In this article, the principles of EOM are based on the effect of the electric-field-induced refractive index change, which is called the Pockels effect [ 32 , 33 ]. When a signal voltage is applied to the waveguide, the effective refractive index of the waveguide varies with the electric field.…”