Electro-optic modulator based on non-Hermitian optics

The dense integration of integrated photonic devices is limited by the distant placement of metals from optical fields to mitigate absorption losses. Here we show by using the concept of non-Hermitian optics, that it is possible to engineer low loss pathways in a photonic system despite the presence of high absorption losses. We further exploit one such low loss pathway, which adds only 10^-2 dB.μm^-1 of local loss, to demonstrate a high-performing electro-optic modulator device with a modulation efficiency, V_πL, of 0.92 V.cm and a 3 dB electro-optic bandwidth of 19.5 GHz. Our design provides a method for dense integration of metals with photonic structures without paying the price for high absorption losses.