Recent progress toward a nanoslot modulator: polymer poling experiments

Abstract

Modulators using silicon waveguides with a small (~100 nm) slot in the center of the waveguide filled with an electrooptic polymer can have very low switching voltage. A variety of challenges, including difficulty poling the polymer and difficulty achieving high-speed operation, have so far prevented successful demonstration. Problems poling the polymer may be electrical, such as nonuniform poling fields or too much polymer conductivity compared to the silicon electrodes, or they may be more fundamental. This paper discusses research into one possible improvement in the polymer poling method, which is illumination of the device with an 800-nm-wavelength laser during poling to improve conductivity between the external voltage source and the polymer in the slot.

Enhanced Polling and Infiltration for Highly-Efficient Electro-Optic Polymer-Based Mach-Zehnder Modulators

“…The linear electro-optic (EO) effect (the Pockels effect) can be induced in the EOP by orienting its chromophore molecules in such a manner that the optical center of symmetry of the polymer is removed [32]. Generally speaking, the larger the polling field inside the slot, the larger the induced EO [32] effect. However, the maximum polling field is limited by the polymer breakdown.…”