Polymer-Based Multi-Mode Coplanar Asymmetrical Unidirectional Waveguide Modulator for Multi-Wavelength

A unidirectional electro-optic modulator based on polymeric highly multi-mode waveguides was constructed using the standard VLSI techniques. A high unidirectional coupling efficiency of 100% Was achieved. A high modulation depth of 99% was also experimentally achieved at 633nm wavelength. The modulator was packaging enhanced by vertically configuring the guiding multi-mode waveguide and the dumping planar waveguide. The device packing density improved by a factor of two. Based on the same configuration, a packaging enhanced polarization-insensitive thermo-optic was also built. The switch operating at wavelengths of 632.8nm and 1.3 micrometers has been demonstrated experimentally with extinction ratios of 21dB and 22dB, respectively. Such devices have an intrinsic wide optical bandwidth due to the large dynamic range of the phase-matching condition implied by the multi-mode waveguides. These devices can be used in optoelectronic interconnects for data communications.
Richard Lee, Ray T. Chen.