Hybrid and Etch-Less Electrooptic Waveguide Modulator Based on Photo-Bleaching and Strain Induced Optical Waveguide...

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Electrooptic (EO) modulators are crucial for optical communications.
• Existing fabrication methods often involve complex etching processes.
• Polymer-based photonic integrated circuits offer advantages in cost and flexibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a hybrid and etchless electrooptic polymer waveguide modulator.
• To combine photo-bleaching-induced optical waveguide (PBOW) and strain-induced optical waveguide (SIOW) techniques.
• To assess the applicability of this fabrication approach for polymer photonic integrated circuits.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a hybrid waveguide modulator using PBOW and SIOW.
• SIOW creation via a metal strip line stressor to induce refractive index change.
• PBOW formation through photo-oxidation for permanent index decrease.
• Device characterization including half-wave voltage and extinction ratio measurement.

Main Results:

• The fabricated devices achieved a half-wave voltage between 8 V and 10 V.
• An extinction ratio exceeding 15 dB was observed.
• Fiber-to-waveguide-to-lens loss was approximately 9.5 dB for TM polarization at 1.55 µm wavelength over a 1.5 cm interaction length.

Conclusions:

• The proposed hybrid, etchless fabrication method is suitable for various polymer photonic integrated circuits.
• The demonstrated EO modulator exhibits competitive performance metrics.
• This approach offers a simplified and potentially more scalable fabrication route for polymer EO devices.