Optical peaking enhancement in high-speed ring modulators

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Communications
• Integrated Optics
• Semiconductor Devices

Background:

• Ring resonator modulators (RRMs) offer compactness and low power for optical links.
• Existing RRMs face bandwidth limitations for higher data rates.
• Scalability of short-distance optical links requires advanced modulator performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend the data rate capabilities of ring resonator modulators (RRMs).
• To derive and verify analytical models for RRM electro-optic response and sideband generation.
• To improve RRM performance by leveraging transient time dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Derivation and experimental verification of closed-form equations for electro-optic response.
• Analysis of asymmetric sideband generation due to transient dynamics.
• Application of a small-signal analytical expression for peaking in electro-optic response.
• Integration with an equivalent circuit description and peaking amplifier model.

Main Results:

• Extended electro-optic bandwidth of RRMs beyond 40 GHz.
• Successfully opened eye diagrams at 32, 40, and 44 Gbps, overcoming intersymbol interference.
• Excellent agreement between predicted and experimental results for peaking and sideband generation.
• Demonstrated significant improvement in RRM device performance.

Conclusions:

• Transient time dynamics are crucial for enhancing RRM bandwidth beyond classical limits.
• The derived analytical models provide a pathway for optimizing RRM performance in high-speed optical links.
• This work enables RRMs to meet the demanding scalability requirements of modern optical communication systems.