Effect of carrier lifetime on forward-biased silicon Mach-Zehnder modulators
Optics Express, Vol. 16, Issue 8, pp. 5218-5226 (2008)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.16.005218
Acrobat PDF (788 KB)
Abstract
We present a systematic study of Mach-Zehnder silicon optical modulators based on carrier-injection. Detailed comparisons between modeling and measurement results are made with good agreement obtained for both DC and AC characteristics. A figure of merit, static VπL, as low as 0.24Vmm is achieved. The effect of carrier lifetime variation with doping concentration is explored and found to be important for the modulator characteristics.
© 2008 Optical Society of America
1. Introduction
L. Pavesi and D. J. Lockwood, Silicon Photonics, Topics in Applied Physics 94, (Springer, New York, 2004). [CrossRef]
R. A. Soref and B. R. Bennett, “Electrooptical effects in silicon,” IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-23, 123–129 (1987). [CrossRef]
C. K. Tang and G. T. Reed, “Highly efficient optical phase modulator in SOI waveguides,” Electron. Lett. 31, 451–452 (1995). [CrossRef]
Q. Xu, B. Schmidt, S. Pradhan, and M. Lipson, “Micrometer-scale silicon electro-optic modulator” Nature 435, 325–327 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
F. Gan and F. X. Kärtner, “High-speed silicon electrooptic modulator design,” IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 17, 1007–1009 (2005). [CrossRef]
Q. Xu, B. Schmidt, S. Pradhan, and M. Lipson, “Micrometer-scale silicon electro-optic modulator” Nature 435, 325–327 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
F. X. Kärtner, et al., “Silicon electronic photonic integrated circuits for high speed analog to digital conversion,” (Invited) in Technical Digiest of 3rd International Conference on Group IV Photonics , ThC3, (2006). [PubMed]
2. Device design and fabrication
3. Modeling and measurement: DC characteristics
D. J. Roulston, N. D. Arora, and S. G. Chamberlain, “Modeling and measurement of minority-carrier lifetimes versus doping in diffused layers of n+-p silicon diodes,” IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 29, 961–964 (1982). [CrossRef]
D. W. Zheng, B. T. Smith, and M. Asghari, “Assessment of the effective carrier lifetime in a SOI p-i-n diode silicon modulator using the reverse recovery method,” Proc. of SPIE 6477, 647711 (2007). [CrossRef]
G. T. Reed and A. P. Knights, Silicon Photonics: an introduction (John Wiley, Chichester, 2004). [CrossRef]
R. A. Soref and B. R. Bennett, “Electrooptical effects in silicon,” IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-23, 123–129 (1987). [CrossRef]
A. Liu, R. Jones, L. Liao, D. Samara-Rubio, D. Rubin, O. Cohen, R. Nicolaescu, and M. Paniccia, “A high-speed silicon optical modulator based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor,” Nature 427, 615–618 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
4. Modeling and measurement: AC characteristics
R. A. Soref and B. R. Bennett, “Electrooptical effects in silicon,” IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-23, 123–129 (1987). [CrossRef]
R. A. Soref and B. R. Bennett, “Electrooptical effects in silicon,” IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-23, 123–129 (1987). [CrossRef]
5. Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References and links
L. Pavesi and D. J. Lockwood, Silicon Photonics, Topics in Applied Physics 94, (Springer, New York, 2004). [CrossRef] | |
G. T. Reed and A. P. Knights, Silicon Photonics: an introduction (John Wiley, Chichester, 2004). [CrossRef] | |
R. A. Soref and B. R. Bennett, “Electrooptical effects in silicon,” IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-23, 123–129 (1987). [CrossRef] | |
C. K. Tang and G. T. Reed, “Highly efficient optical phase modulator in SOI waveguides,” Electron. Lett. 31, 451–452 (1995). [CrossRef] | |
A. Liu, R. Jones, L. Liao, D. Samara-Rubio, D. Rubin, O. Cohen, R. Nicolaescu, and M. Paniccia, “A high-speed silicon optical modulator based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor,” Nature 427, 615–618 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed] | |
L. Liao, D. Samara-Rubio, M. Morse, A. Liu, H. Hodge, D. Rubin, U. D. Keil, and T. Franck, “High-speed silicon Mach-Zehnder modulator,” Opt. Express 13, 3129–3135 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed] | |
A. Liu, L. Liao, D. Rubin, H. Nguyen, G. Ciftcioglu, Y. Chetrit, N. Izhaky, and M. Paniccia, “High-speed optical modulation based on carrier depletion in a silicon waveguide” Opt. Express 15, 660–668 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed] | |
Q. Xu, B. Schmidt, S. Pradhan, and M. Lipson, “Micrometer-scale silicon electro-optic modulator” Nature 435, 325–327 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed] | |
Q. Xu, S. Manipatruni, B. Schmidt, J. Shakya, and M. Lipson, “12.5 Gbit/s carrier-injection-based silicon microring silicon modulators” Opt. Express 15, 430–436 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed] | |
F. Gan and F. X. Kärtner, “High-speed silicon electrooptic modulator design,” IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 17, 1007–1009 (2005). [CrossRef] | |
F. Gan and F. X. Kärtner, “Low insertion Loss, high-speed silicon electro-optic modulator design”, in Technical Digest of Integrated Photonics Research and Applications/Nanophotonics , ITuB2, (2006). | |
S. J. Spector, M. E. Grein, R. T. Schulein, M. W. Geis, J. U. Yoon, D. E. Lennon, F. Gan, F. X. Kartner, and T. M. Lyszczarz, “Compact carrier injection based Mach-Zehnder modulator in silicon,” in Technical Digest of 2007 Integrated Photonics Research , ITuE5 (2007). | |
F. X. Kärtner, et al., “Silicon electronic photonic integrated circuits for high speed analog to digital conversion,” (Invited) in Technical Digiest of 3rd International Conference on Group IV Photonics , ThC3, (2006). [PubMed] | |
S. L. Chuang, Physics of Optoelectronic Devices . (John Wiley, New York, 1995). | |
R. F. Pierret, Semiconductor Device Fundamentals (Addison Wesley, 1996), Part IIA. | |
S. M. Sze, Physics of Semiconductor Devices , (John Wiley, New York, 1981), Chap. 2. | |
D. J. Roulston, N. D. Arora, and S. G. Chamberlain, “Modeling and measurement of minority-carrier lifetimes versus doping in diffused layers of n+-p silicon diodes,” IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 29, 961–964 (1982). [CrossRef] | |
D. W. Zheng, B. T. Smith, and M. Asghari, “Assessment of the effective carrier lifetime in a SOI p-i-n diode silicon modulator using the reverse recovery method,” Proc. of SPIE 6477, 647711 (2007). [CrossRef] |
OCIS Codes
(130.3120) Integrated optics : Integrated optics devices
(230.2090) Optical devices : Electro-optical devices
(250.5300) Optoelectronics : Photonic integrated circuits
(250.7360) Optoelectronics : Waveguide modulators
ToC Category:
Optoelectronics
History
Original Manuscript: January 17, 2008
Revised Manuscript: March 22, 2008
Manuscript Accepted: March 25, 2008
Published: April 1, 2008
Citation
Gui-rong Zhou, Michael W. Geis, Steven J. Spector, Fuwan Gan, Matthew E. Grein, Robert T. Schulein, Jason S. Orcutt, Jung U. Yoon, Donna M. Lennon, Theodore M. Lyszczarz, Erich P. Ippen, and Franz X. Käertner, "Effect of carrier lifetime on forward-biased
silicon Mach-Zehnder modulators," Opt. Express 16, 5218-5226 (2008)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-16-8-5218
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References
- L. Pavesi, D. J. Lockwood, Silicon Photonics, Topics in Applied Physics 94, (Springer, New York, 2004). [CrossRef]
- G. T. Reed, A. P. Knights, Silicon Photonics: an introduction (John Wiley, Chichester, 2004). [CrossRef]
- R. A. Soref, B. R. Bennett, "Electrooptical effects in silicon," IEEE J. Quantum Electron. QE-23, 123-129 (1987). [CrossRef]
- C. K. Tang, G. T. Reed, "Highly efficient optical phase modulator in SOI waveguides," Electron. Lett. 31, 451-452 (1995). [CrossRef]
- A. Liu, R. Jones, L. Liao, D. Samara-Rubio, D. Rubin, O. Cohen, R. Nicolaescu, M. Paniccia, "A high-speed silicon optical modulator based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor," Nature 427, 615-618 (2004). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- L. Liao, D. Samara-Rubio, M. Morse, A. Liu, H. Hodge, D. Rubin, U. D. Keil, T. Franck, "High-speed silicon Mach-Zehnder modulator," Opt. Express 13, 3129-3135 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- A. Liu, L. Liao, D. Rubin, H. Nguyen, G. Ciftcioglu, Y. Chetrit, N. Izhaky, and M. Paniccia, "High-speed optical modulation based on carrier depletion in a silicon waveguide," Opt. Express 15, 660-668 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Q. Xu, B. Schmidt, S. Pradhan, and M. Lipson, "Micrometer-scale silicon electro-optic modulator," Nature 435, 325-327 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Q. Xu, S. Manipatruni, B. Schmidt, J. Shakya and M. Lipson, "12.5 Gbit/s carrier-injection-based silicon microring silicon modulators," Opt. Express 15, 430-436 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- F. Gan, F. X. Kärtner, "High-speed silicon electrooptic modulator design," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 17, 1007-1009 (2005). [CrossRef]
- F. Gan and F. X. Kärtner, "Low insertion Loss, high-speed silicon electro-optic modulator design," in Technical Digest of Integrated Photonics Research and Applications/ Nanophotonics, ITuB2, (2006).
- S. J. Spector, M. E. Grein, R. T. Schulein, M. W. Geis, J. U. Yoon, D. E. Lennon, F. Gan, F. X. Kartner, and T. M. Lyszczarz, "Compact carrier injection based Mach-Zehnder modulator in silicon," in Technical Digest of 2007 Integrated Photonics Research, ITuE5 (2007).
- F. X. Kärtner, et al., "Silicon electronic photonic integrated circuits for high speed analog to digital conversion," (Invited) in Technical Digiest of 3rd International Conference on Group IV Photonics, ThC3, (2006). [PubMed]
- S. L. Chuang, Physics of Optoelectronic Devices. (John Wiley, New York, 1995).
- R. F. Pierret, Semiconductor Device Fundamentals (Addison Wesley, 1996), Part IIA.
- S. M. Sze, Physics of Semiconductor Devices, (John Wiley, New York, 1981), Chap. 2.
- D. J. Roulston, N. D. Arora, and S. G. Chamberlain, "Modeling and measurement of minority-carrier lifetimes versus doping in diffused layers of n+-p silicon diodes," IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 29, 961-964 (1982). [CrossRef]
- D. W. Zheng, B. T. Smith, M. Asghari, "Assessment of the effective carrier lifetime in a SOI p-i-n diode silicon modulator using the reverse recovery method," Proc. SPIE 6477, 647711 (2007). [CrossRef]
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