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High Modulation Efficient Silicon MZM with Core-based Split PN Junction Phase Shifter

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Abstract

A silicon Mach Zehnder modulator (MZM) with high modulation efficiency was designed using a core-based split PN junction phase shifter. The novel design of the phase shifter improves the optical confinement, reduces the optical loss. The use of the travelling wave electrode improves the coupling between the microwave and optical mode. The proposed design achieved a high modulation efficiency of 0.75V.cm with 1.5mm phase shifter. With this modulation efficiency, an extinction ratio of 7.37dB and 1.69 × 10− 12 bit error rate was achieved at a bit rate of 90Gbps. The energy per bit transmission of the data was 3.91pJ/bit. The phase shifter in silicon MZM (PS-MZM) was analysed for its supporting transmission distance and bit rate at ITU-T recommended DWDM wavelength of 1552.5 nm. It ensures that PS-MZM is suitable for on-chip and off-chip communication data centre application in unguided (free space optics (FSO)) and guided (optical fibre) transmission medium. The proposed device can also be implemented in delay lines, switches etc.

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Acknowledgements

This work was performed on Lumerical software provided by Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai. The authors are grateful to the institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Electronics Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai, 600127, India

    Jesuwanth Sugesh R.G. & Sivasubramanian A.

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  1. Jesuwanth Sugesh R.G.
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  2. Sivasubramanian A.
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Contributions

The design proposal, simulation analysis and manuscript preparation are performed by Jesuwanth Sugesh R G guided by Sivasubramanian A.

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Correspondence to Jesuwanth Sugesh R.G..

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R.G., J.S., A., S. High Modulation Efficient Silicon MZM with Core-based Split PN Junction Phase Shifter. Silicon 14, 7033–7041 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-021-01482-w

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