High-Power, High-Linearity, Heterogeneously Integrated III-V on Si MZI Modulators for RF Photonics Systems

• Published in: IEEE photonics journal Vol. 11; no. 2; pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: Morton, Paul A., Morton, Michael J., Chong Zhang, Khurgin, Jacob B., Peters, Jon, Morton, Christopher D., Bowers, John E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Piscataway IEEE 01.04.2019; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Doped fibers; Erbium; Fiber optics; heterogeneous integration; high linearity; high power; high SFDR; integrated modulator; Linearity; Lithium niobates; Mach Zehnder interferometer (MZI) modulator; Mach-Zehnder interferometers; microwave photonics; Modulators; Optical fiber communication; Optical fibers; Optical interferometry; Optical modulation; Phase modulation; Photonics; Silicon; silicon photonics
• ISSN: 1943-0655; 1943-0655; 1943-0647
• DOI: 10.1109/JPHOT.2019.2903979

In this paper, heterogeneously integrated III-V on silicon (III-V/Si) Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) modulators providing record results for both linearity and high-power operation are described. Devices include hybrid III-V/Si phase modulation sections in a Si MZI, and with a single-drive push-pull operation provide a spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) as high as 112 dB·Hz 2/3 at 10 GHz, comparable to commercial lithium niobate modulators. Optical power levels up to 100 mW into the modulator provide no degradation in device linearity, with modulators demonstrating typical SFDRs of 110 dB·Hz 2/3 . These III-V/Si MZI modulators, using a 500-nm ``thick'' Si layer for III-V integration, demonstrate applicability for high-SFDR analog fiber-optic links without need for an erbium-doped fiber amplifier.