Charge and field driven integrated optical modulators: comparative analysis: opinion

Electro optic modulators being key for many signal processing systems must adhere to requirements given by both electrical and optical constraints. Distinguishing between charge driven (CD) and field driven (FD) designs, we answer the question of whether fundamental performance benefits can be claim...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inOptical materials express Vol. 12; no. 5; p. 1784
Main Authors Khurgin, Jacob B., Sorger, Volker J., Amin, Rubab
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Optical Society of America 01.05.2022
Subjects
Charge injection
Electroabsorption modulators
Graphene
Lithium niobates
Optical materials
Optics
Signal processing
Stark effect
Waveguides
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Electro optic modulators being key for many signal processing systems must adhere to requirements given by both electrical and optical constraints. Distinguishing between charge driven (CD) and field driven (FD) designs, we answer the question of whether fundamental performance benefits can be claimed of modulators based on emerging electro-optic materials. Following primary metrics, we compare the performance of emerging electro-optic and electro-absorption modulators such as graphene, transparent conductive oxides, and Si, based on charge injection with that of the ‘legacy’ FD modulators, such as those based on lithium niobate and quantum confined Stark effect. We show that for rather fundamental reasons and when considering energy and speed only, FD modulators always outperform CD ones in the conventional wavelength scale photonic waveguides. However, for waveguides featuring a sub-wavelength optical mode, such as those assisted by plasmonics, the emerging CD devices are indeed highly competitive especially for applications where component-density on-chip is a factor.
ISSN:2159-3930
2159-3930
DOI:10.1364/OME.452872