GaAs Traveling-Wave Optical Modulators Using Modulated Coplanar Electrodes with Periodic Cross-Tie Overlays

Abstract

This technical report describes traveling-wave optical modulators using cross-tie slow-wave electrodes on GaAs substrates as well as wideband feeding of a coplanar strip electrode. Periodic cross-tie conductors are overlaid on a modulated coplanar strip and a modulated coplanar waveguide electrode to make slow-wave electrodes. In these structures, phase velocity matching between modulation and optical waves is satisfied over a very wide bandwidth by reducing the phase velocity of the modulation wave using the slow- wave electrodes. Therefore, the modulation bandwidths are greatly increased while the dominant conductor losses are relatively high and limit the bandwidths. The coplanar strip slow-wave structure has been build on a semi- insulating GaAs substrate and measured using a microwave network analyzer. The measured phase velocity is much lower than those of conventional coplanar electrodes and agrees very well with the calculated one. Keywords: Optical communications; Optical signal processing.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA217731

Entities

People

  • Hai-young Lee
  • Tatsuo Itoh

Organizations

  • University of Texas at Austin

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Bandwidth
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Crystal Structure
  • Dielectrics
  • Electro-Optic Modulators
  • Electromagnetic Fields
  • Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
  • Microwave Networks
  • Modulation
  • Modulators
  • Networks
  • Optical Modulators
  • Phase Velocity
  • Semiconductors
  • Time-Domain Reflectometry
  • Transmission Lines
  • Traveling Waves

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Electronics Engineering
  • Microwave Engineering.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics