Integration of electro-optic polymer modulators with low-loss fluorinated polymer waveguides

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Optical modulators are crucial components in telecommunications and optical computing.
• Traditional modulators face challenges with insertion loss and fiber coupling efficiency.
• Hybrid approaches integrating different waveguide materials offer potential solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel hybrid Mach-Zehnder optical modulator.
• To reduce transmission and fiber coupling losses in optical modulators.
• To leverage the benefits of both passive and electro-optic (EO) polymer waveguides.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a hybrid modulator combining a large-core, low-loss fluorinated passive polymer waveguide with an EO polymer waveguide.
• Utilizing vertical tapers for low-loss adiabatic coupling between the passive and active waveguide sections.
• Characterization of the modulator's performance at a 1.55 micrometer wavelength.

Main Results:

• Achieved a low half-wave voltage of 3.6 V.
• Measured an insertion loss of 6 dB.
• Estimated fiber coupling loss to standard single-mode fiber at approximately 0.5 dB.

Conclusions:

• The hybrid Mach-Zehnder optical modulator design effectively reduces transmission and coupling losses.
• The integration of passive and EO polymer waveguides offers a promising pathway for high-performance optical modulators.
• The device demonstrates potential for efficient signal modulation in optical systems.