Micrometre-scale silicon electro-optic modulator

Abstract

Metal interconnections are expected to become the limiting factor for the performance of electronic systems as transistors continue to shrink in size. Replacing them by optical interconnections, at different levels ranging from rack-to-rack down to chip-to-chip and intra-chip interconnections, could provide the low power dissipation, low latencies and high bandwidths that are needed. The implementation of optical interconnections relies on the development of micro-optical devices that are integrated with the microelectronics on chips. Recent demonstrations of silicon low-loss waveguides, light emitters, amplifiers and lasers approach this goal, but a small silicon electro-optic modulator with a size small enough for chip-scale integration has not yet been demonstrated. Here we experimentally demonstrate a high-speed electro-optical modulator in compact silicon structures. The modulator is based on a resonant light-confining structure that enhances the sensitivity of light to small changes in refractive index of the silicon and also enables high-speed operation. The modulator is 12 micrometres in diameter, three orders of magnitude smaller than previously demonstrated. Electro-optic modulators are one of the most critical components in optoelectronic integration, and decreasing their size may enable novel chip architectures.

High-density waveguide superlattices with low crosstalk

“…S ilicon photonics has made great strides in developing a wide range of devices [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] . Built upon these advances, this technology now offers a low-cost platform for building large-scale optical systems [14][15][16][17] .…”

Tunable Nanoplasmonics

“…In addition to controlling the effective index mechanically, we can control it electrically by applying an electric field to the dielectric core [10], [11]. By applying a voltage difference between the two metal plates of the filter, the value of the applied electric field can be changed and consequently the effective index.…”

“…By applying a voltage difference between the two metal plates of the filter, the value of the applied electric field can be changed and consequently the effective index. Electrically injecting electrons and holes in the dielectric core using embedded p-i-n junction is an effective way to change the core effective index [10]. By changing the effective index from 1 to 2, resonance peak can be tuned as shown in Fig.5.…”

A Study of Dynamic Optical Tweezers Generation for Communication Networks

“…Its nonlinear phase response can be readily incorporated into an interferometer to produce specific intensity output function [27][28][29]. Schematic of a single MRR is illustrated in figure 1, which depicts a ring resonator coupled with a waveguide by a coupler, even though single MRR is normally coupled with a straight waveguide of the same width [30]. The geometric parameters of a ring resonator are the radius of curvature (R), the gap distance between waveguide and ring (g), and the waveguide diameter (D).…”