Electro-optic modulator based on non-Hermitian optics

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optics
• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Dense integration of photonic devices is hindered by the need to keep metals away from optical fields to prevent absorption losses.
• Existing methods for integrating metals and photonics often compromise device performance due to inherent material absorption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a method for dense integration of metals with photonic structures.
• To overcome the limitations imposed by absorption losses in integrated photonic devices.
• To engineer low-loss pathways in photonic systems using non-Hermitian optics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the principles of non-Hermitian optics to design photonic systems.
• Engineered specific low-loss pathways within the photonic system.
• Fabricated and characterized an electro-optic modulator device based on the designed pathway.

Main Results:

• Successfully engineered a low-loss pathway with minimal added loss (10^-2 dB.μm^-1).
• Demonstrated a high-performance electro-optic modulator with a modulation efficiency (V_πL) of 0.92 V.cm.
• Achieved a 3 dB electro-optic bandwidth of 19.5 GHz for the modulator.

Conclusions:

• Non-Hermitian optics enables the creation of low-loss pathways in photonic systems despite high material absorption.
• The developed method allows for dense integration of metals and photonic structures without sacrificing performance.
• This approach offers a promising solution for advancing integrated photonic devices and electro-optic modulators.