Long-term and thermal stability of PZT electro-optic modulators

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Photonics
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Lead zirconate titanate (PbZrₓTi₁₋ₓO₃, PZT) thin films are promising for electro-optic (EO) modulators due to large EO coefficients and low optical loss.
• PZT modulators offer high operating bandwidth, low driving voltage, and compact footprints for integrated photonics.
• Electric poling is essential for PZT's EO response, but its environmental stability is a critical challenge for practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the environmental stability and reliability of PZT-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) modulators.
• To assess the performance of PZT modulators under diverse operating conditions, including temperature and DC biasing.
• To determine the suitability of PZT thin-film modulators for robust integrated photonic systems.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of PZT-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) modulators.
• Comprehensive characterization of modulator reliability under various environmental conditions.
• Testing at room temperature, elevated temperatures (85 °C to 120 °C), and under long-term DC biasing for up to 2000 hours.

Main Results:

• PZT modulators demonstrated exceptional stability at room temperature and under long-term DC biasing.
• The modulators maintained stability at elevated temperatures ranging from 85 °C to 120 °C.
• Reliability was confirmed over extended testing periods of up to 2000 hours.

Conclusions:

• PZT thin-film modulators exhibit remarkable environmental and operational stability.
• The findings support the potential of PZT modulators for high-performance and reliable integrated photonic applications.
• Further investigation into PZT modulator stability confirms their viability for next-generation photonics.