Systematic Study of Polymer Wideband Optical Modulators: Transition from Intrinsic Material Characteristics to Device Performance

摘要

Low drive voltage Mach-Zehnder modulators were designed and fabricated using proprietary EO polymers with highelectro-optic coefficients. We report on drive voltage and high-speed electrode parameters of modulators fabricated onsilicon wafers with high yield. Special attention was paid to designing claddings to match the electro-optic coreconductivity and dielectric constant. The r33 values measured on single layer thin films are compared with thoseresulting from drive voltage measurements on devices. Half-wave voltage measured on devices is compared withtheoretical values derived from equations defined for poling of the core through bottom and top claddings. We compareresults obtained from devices fabricated using commercially available UV-curable epoxies with devices fabricatingusing proprietary clad polymers developed at Lumera Corporation.