Cryogenic operation of silicon photonic modulators based on the DC Kerr effect

• Published in: Optica Vol. 7; no. 10; p. 1385
• Main Authors: Chakraborty, Uttara, Carolan, Jacques, Clark, Genevieve, Bunandar, Darius, Gilbert, Gerald, Notaros, Jelena, Watts, Michael R., Englund, Dirk R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 20.10.2020
• ISSN: 2334-2536; 2334-2536
• DOI: 10.1364/OPTICA.403178

Reliable operation of photonic integrated circuits at cryogenic temperatures would enable new capabilities for emerging computing platforms, such as quantum technologies and low-power cryogenic computing. The silicon-on-insulator platform is a highly promising approach to developing large-scale photonic integrated circuits due to its exceptional manufacturability, CMOS compatibility, and high component density. Fast, efficient, and low-loss modulation at cryogenic temperatures in silicon, however, remains an outstanding challenge, particularly without the addition of exotic nonlinear optical materials. In this paper, we demonstrate DC-Kerr-effect-based modulation at a temperature of 5 K at GHz speeds, in a silicon photonic device fabricated exclusively within a CMOS-compatible process. This work opens up a path for the integration of DC Kerr modulators in large-scale photonic integrated circuits for emerging cryogenic classical and quantum computing applications.