Tao Chu

High-speed, low-loss silicon Mach–Zehnder modulators with doping optimization

We demonstrate a high-speed silicon Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) with low insertion loss, based on the carrier depletion effect in a lateral PN junction. A 1.9 dB on-chip insertion loss and a VπLπ < 2 V·cm were achieved in an MZM with a 750 μm-long phase shifter by properly choosing the doping concentration and precisely locating the junction. High-speed modulations up to 45-60 Gbit/s have been demonstrated with an additional 1.6 dB optical loss, indicating a total insertion loss of 3.5 dB. A high extinction ratio of 7.5 dB was also realized at the bit rate of 50 Gbit/s with an acceptable insertion loss of 6.5 dB.

Compact 1 × N thermo-optic switches based on silicon photonic wire waveguides

Using silicon photonic wire waveguides, we constructed compact 1 x 1, 1 x 2, and 1 x 4 Mach-Zehnder interferometer type optical switches on a silicon-on-insulator substrate and demonstrated their switching operations through the thermo-optic effect. These switches were smaller than 140 x 65, 85 x 30, and 190 x 75 mum, respectively. At a 1550-nm wavelength, we obtained an extinction ratio larger than 30 dB, a switching power as low as 90 mW, and a switching response time of less than 100 mus. Furthermore, switching operations were successfully demonstrated for the 1 x 4 switch.

25 Gbit/s silicon microring modulator based on misalignment-tolerant interleaved PN junctions

A high-speed depletion-mode silicon-based microring modulator with interleaved PN junctions optimized for high modulation efficiency and large alignment tolerance is demonstrated. It is fabricated using standard 0.18 μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor processes and provides low V(π)L(π)s of 0.68 V·cm to 1.64 V·cm with a moderate doping concentration of 2 × 10(17) cm(-3). The measured modulation efficiency decreases by only 12.4% under ± 150 nm alignment errors. 25 Gbit/s non-return-zero modulation with a 4.5 dB extinction ratio is experimentally realized at a peak-to-peak driving voltage of 2 V, demonstrating the excellent performance of the novel doping profile.

Nonlinear-Optic Silicon-Nanowire Waveguides

Using a 4-mm-long compact silicon-nanowire waveguide, we demonstrated nonlinear-optic effects such as the spectral broadening of optical short pulses due to self-phase modulation and nonlinear transmittance due to two-photon absorption. At a 12 W input power level, we observed a 1.5-π nonlinear phase shift and a strong saturation of optical output power in a sample. We also estimated the third-order nonlinear coefficient n2 and the two-photon absorption coefficient β, and compared them with those previously reported.

High speed silicon Mach-Zehnder modulator based on interleaved PN junctions

A high speed silicon Mach-Zehnder modulator is proposed based on interleaved PN junctions. This doping profile enabled both high modulation efficiency of V(π)L(π) = 1.5~2.0 V·cm and low doping-induced loss of ~10 dB/cm by applying a relatively low doping concentration of 2 × 10(17) cm(-3). High speed operation up to 40 Gbit/s with 7.01 dB extinction ratio was experimentally demonstrated with a short phase shifter of only 750 μm.

Compact, lower-power-consumption wavelength tunable laser fabricated with silicon photonic-wire waveguide micro-ring resonators.

A wavelength tunable laser with an SOA and external double micro-ring resonator, which is fabricated with silicon photonic-wire waveguides, is demonstrated. To date, it is the first wavelength tunable laser fabricated with silicon photonic technology. The device is ultra compact, and its external resonator footprint is 700 x 450 microm, which is about 1/25 that of conventional tunable lasers fabricated with SiON waveguides. The silicon resonator shows a wide tuning range covering the C or L bands for DWDM optical communication. We obtained a maximum tuning span of 38 nm at a tuning power consumption of 26 mW, which is about 1/8 that of SiON-type resonators.

44-Gb/s Silicon Microring Modulators Based on Zigzag PN Junctions

We experimentally demonstrate silicon microring modulators with >;40-Gb/s modulation speed based on the carrier-depletion mechanism in reverse-biased PN junctions. A novel zigzag PN junction providing a modulation efficiency of 3.85× 10-5/V and a resistance-capacitance bandwidth of 51 GHz is proposed and demonstrated. The moderate Q factor of ~ 8000 and the operation wavelength detuning are optimized to relieve photon-lifetime-induced bandwidth limitation. Finally, with a voltage swing of 3 V, high-speed modulation of 20 and 44 Gb/s is experimentally demonstrated with the extinction ratio of 3.45 and 3.01 dB, showing great potential in the application of ultrahigh-capacity optical interconnects.

High-speed silicon modulator based on cascaded microring resonators

A high-speed silicon modulator based on cascaded double microring resonators is demonstrated in this paper. The proposed modulator experimentally achieved 40 Gbit/s modulation with an extinction ratio of 3.9 dB. Enhancement of the modulator achieves with an ultra-high optical bandwidth of 0.41 nm, corresponding to 51 GHz, was accomplished by using cascaded double ring structure. The described modulator can provides an ultra-high-speed optical modulation with a further improvement in electrical bandwidth of the device.

Thermooptic switch based on photonic-crystal line-defect waveguides

A thermooptic switch with a symmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer structure was demonstrated with silicon photonic-crystal-slab line-defect waveguides. The device size was as small as 160/spl times/65 /spl mu/m. The optic switch operated at a wavelength of 1550 nm, and an extinction ratio greater than 30 dB was obtained by 120-mW heating (switching) power over the wavelength range of 15 nm. The switching on-off response times were about 120 /spl mu/s.

Optical add-drop multiplexers based on Si-wire waveguides

Ultrasmall optical add-drop multiplexers (OADMs) with Si-wire waveguides were demonstrated. Bragg grating reflectors based on Si-wire waveguides were developed and used as the wavelength-selective mechanism in the OADMs. The dropping wavelength bandwidth of the OADMs was less than 0.7 nm, and the dropping wavelengths could be controlled precisely by adjusting the grating period.