Hybrid lithium tantalite-silicon integrated photonics platform for electro-optic modulation

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Materials Science
• Integrated Optics
• Semiconductor Devices

Background:

• Integrated electro-optic modulators are crucial for photonic integrated circuits.
• Silicon photonics offers large-scale, low-cost integration but lacks the Pockels effect.
• Existing silicon modulators face challenges like high power consumption and limited bandwidth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a new hybrid lithium tantalate-silicon platform for electro-optic modulators.
• To leverage the strong Pockels effect of lithium tantalate for improved modulator performance.
• To overcome the inherent limitations of silicon-based modulators.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a hybrid microring-based modulator on a lithium tantalate-silicon platform.
• Characterization of the modulator's quality factor, extinction ratio, and tuning efficiency.
• Experimental generation of high-speed data signals (20 Gbps NRZ and 4-PAM).

Main Results:

• Demonstration of a hybrid microring modulator with a quality factor of 1.7 × 10^4 and extinction ratio of 10.5 dB.
• Achieved a linear bidirectional wavelength tuning efficiency of 12.8 pm/V.
• Exhibited a 3-dB bandwidth exceeding 20 GHz and generated high-quality 20 Gbps eye diagrams.

Conclusions:

• The proposed hybrid lithium tantalate-silicon platform is a viable solution for high-performance electro-optic modulators.
• This technology extends silicon photonics capabilities, enabling high-speed modulators and phase shifters.
• The platform paves the way for advancements in optical communication and optical phased array systems.