A Sub‐Picojoule per Bit Integrated Magneto‐Optic Modulator on Silicon: Modeling and Experimental Demonstration
Abstract
Integrated magneto‐optic (MO) modulators are an attractive but not fully explored alternative to electro‐optic (EO) modulators. They are current driven, structurally simple, and could potentially achieve high efficiency in cryogenic and room temperature environments where fJ bit−1 optical interfaces are needed. In this paper, the performance and energy efficiency of a novel MO modulator at room temperature are for the first time assessed. First, a model of the micro‐ring‐based modulator is implemented to investigate the design parameters and their influence on the performance. Then, a fabricated device is experimentally characterized to assess its performance in terms of bit rate and energy efficiency. The model shows efficient operation at 1.2 Gbps using a 16 mA drive current, consuming only 155 fJ bit−1. The experimental results show that the MO effect is suitable for modulation, achieving error‐free operation above 16 mA with a power consumption of 258 fJ bit−1 at a transient limited data rate of 1.2 Gbps.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 22, 2023
- Source ID
- 10.1002/lpor.202200799
Entities
People
- Duanni Huang
- Fotini Karinou
- John E. Bowers
- Marijn Rombouts
- Nicola Calabretta
- Paolo Pintus
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Eindhoven University of Technology
- Intel Corporation
- Microsoft
- University of Cagliari
- University of California, Santa Barbara