Articles | Volume 15
https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-15-141-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-15-141-2017
21 Sep 2017
 | 21 Sep 2017

Single waveguide silicon-organic hybrid modulator

Niklas Hoppe, Christian Rothe, Arda Celik, María Félix Rosa, Wolfgang Vogel, Daniel Widmann, Lotte Rathgeber, M. Carmen Ruiz Delgado, Belén Villacampa, Sabine Ludwigs, and Manfred Berroth

Abstract. We present a novel silicon-organic hybrid modulator based on an integrated dual-mode interferometer. The modulator offers a compact, simplified design and enhanced robustness to on-chip fluctuations of temperature compared to conventional Mach-Zehnder based systems. A prototype modulator showing a voltage dependent transmission spectrum is obtained by cladding a dual-mode waveguide in a 250 nm silicon-on-insulator technology with a customized organic electro-optic layer. Estimated phase shifts and corresponding figures of merit are discussed in this contribution. The used organic layer is based on the guest-host approach with customized donor-π-acceptor chromophore embedded and poled in a poly(methylmethacrylate) matrix. The presented prototype is to the best of the authors' knowledge the first integrated single waveguide silicon-organic hybrid modulator.

Download
Short summary
We present a novel silicon-organic hybrid modulator based on an single waveguide interferometer, which can be used for optical communications. A prototype modulator showing a voltage dependent transmission spectrum is obtained by cladding a dual-mode waveguide in a 250 nm silicon-on-insulator technology with a customized organic electro-optic layer. The presented prototype is to the best of the authors’ knowledge the first integrated single waveguide silicon-organic hybrid modulator.