Compact 1D-silicon photonic crystal electro-optic modulator operating with ultra-low switching voltage and energy

Shakoor, A. , Nozaki, K., Kuramochi, E., Nishiguchi, K., Shinya, A. and Notomi, M. (2014) Compact 1D-silicon photonic crystal electro-optic modulator operating with ultra-low switching voltage and energy. Optics Express, 22(23), pp. 28623-28634. (doi: 10.1364/OE.22.028623) (PMID:25402103)

Abstract

We demonstrate a small foot print (600 nm wide) 1D silicon photonic crystal electro-optic modulator operating with only a 50 mV swing voltage and 0.1 fJ/bit switching energy at GHz speeds, which are the lowest values ever reported for a silicon electro-optic modulator. A 3 dB extinction ratio is demonstrated with an ultra-low 50 mV swing voltage with a total device energy consumption of 42.8 fJ/bit, which is dominated by the state holding energy. The total energy consumption is reduced to 14.65 fJ/bit for a 300 mV swing voltage while still keeping the switching energy at less than 2 fJ/bit. Under optimum voltage conditions, the device operates with a maximum speed of 3 Gbps with 8 dB extinction ratio, which rises to 11 dB for a 1 Gbps modulation speed.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Shakoor, Dr Abdul
• Authors: Shakoor, A., Nozaki, K., Kuramochi, E., Nishiguchi, K., Shinya, A., and Notomi, M.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
• Journal Name: Optics Express
• Publisher: Optical Society of America
• ISSN: 1094-4087
• ISSN (Online): 1094-4087
• Published Online: 10 November 2014
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2014 Optical Society of America
• First Published: First published in Optics Express 22(23):28623-28634
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher