Fast optical modulator adapted to silicon process.

This article reports that the U.S. researchers have developed a high-speed optical modulator that can be integrated with existing silicon process technology. The work, which solves a problem typically associated with such devices made using Group IV materials, could lead to optical components operating at 100GHz. Optoelectronic components are typically built from III-V semiconductor systems such as GaAs and InP, which have a direct bandgap and display a strong quantum-confined Stark effect. The scientists, at Stanford University and HP Labs in California, used this to create a compact electro-optical modulator.