Plasmonic integrated electro-absorption modulator on an SiO₂ platform for advanced photonic systems

In this study, a novel, to our knowledge, electro-absorption modulator (EAM) integrated with graphene-ITO (indium tin oxide) is designed and investigated. The study leverages the electrical and optical characteristics of plasmonic materials to assess performance metrics. The device's key parameters, including the extinction ratio (ER), figure-of-merit (FOM), and mode power attenuation, are calculated using the finite-element method. By incorporating graphene-ITO into the waveguide structure, significant changes in light propagation behavior through the waveguide have been observed. The ER, FOM, modulation speed (f), and energy consumption per bit (E_bit) are calculated to be 3.03 dB/µm, 79.34, 1.80 THz, and 0.871 fJ/bit, respectively. Furthermore, an EAM with a 1000 nm device length yielded an ER and FOM of 6.06 dB/µm and 80.19, respectively. The investigated EAMs show potential for integration with future photonic circuits and devices.