Resonant plasmonic micro-racetrack modulators with high bandwidth and high temperature tolerance

Abstract

Resonant modulators encode electrical data onto wavelength-multiplexed optical carriers. Today, silicon microring modulators are perceived as promising to implement such links; however, they provide limited bandwidth and need thermal stabilization systems. Here we present plasmonic micro-racetrack modulators as a potential successor of silicon microrings: they are equally compact and compatible with complementary-metal–oxide–semiconductor-level driving voltages, but offer electro-optical bandwidths of 176 GHz, a 28 times improved stability against operating temperature changes and no self-heating effects. The temperature-resistant organic electro-optic material enables operation at 85 °C device temperature. We show intensity-modulated transmission of up to 408 Gbps at 12.3 femtojoules per bit with a single resonant modulator. Plasmonic micro-racetrack modulators offer a solution to encode high data rates (for example, the 1.6 Tbps envisioned by next-generation communications links) at a small footprint, with low power consumption and marginal, if no, temperature control.

Plasmonic Transceivers for the Terabaud Age

“…Fig. 4(d) has been shown [78]. This led to the demonstration of standalone symbol rates of 220 GBd OOK and a maximum data rate of 408 Gb/s.…”

“…(c) An array of phase shifters [77] coupled to a single fiber. (d) A resonant intensity modulator [78]. (e) A coherent IQ modulator [70].…”

Perspectives of thin-film lithium niobate and electro-optic polymers for high-performance electro-optic modulation

“…21 POH EO modulators with a micro-racetrack resonator structure have also been reported in 2023, which offers an ultrawide bandwidth of 176 GHz, and data rate up to 408 Gbps. 96 In terms of bandwidth and modulation efficiency, the POH EO modulator is in the lead in comparison with the SOH and TFLN EO modulator. Since the V p ÁL of the POH modulator is lower than 100 V mm and the propagation loss of metallic plasmonic waveguide is very high, the footprint of this kind of modulator is very compact.…”

“…21 POH EO modulators with a micro-racetrack resonator structure have also been reported in 2023, which offers an ultra-wide bandwidth of 176 GHz, and data rate up to 408 Gbps. 96…”

High‐Resolution 2D Quasi‐Distributed Optical Sensing with On‐Chip Multiplexed FSR‐Free Nanobeam Cavity Array

“…[1][2][3][4] This type of multi-wavelength modulation can significantly improve the capacity, power and energy efficiency of optical communication or optical parallel computing, as the elimination of wavelength demultiplexing will be possible through the use of a microcomb source. [5][6][7][8][9][10] Furthermore, the optical filters may give birth to numerous new optical sensing applications with multiparameter advantages. [11] The sensing units working at different wavelengths are arranged according to specific rules, which can retrieve the spatial distribution information of various physical quantities such as temperature, concentration, [12] strain, [13] and even ultrasound [14,15] to achieve quasi-distributed sensing.…”