Abstract

In this project,anintegratedopticalmodulatorisinvestigated.Theproposedmodulatorcircuitisbasedonthesilicon-on-siliconplatform.Thisplatformprovedverypromisingsinceitisthestandardinthewell-establishedelectronicdevicesindustry.Therefore,theproposeddevicecapitalizeson the already available industrial infrastructure that has been very rewarding for decades. However, introducing photonics ,alongside electronics ,on this platform enables much higher speeds of operation This approach event all yaimsat over coming the minimum-feature-size bottle-neck that is hindering the advancement of electronic circuits .The electro-optical modulator exploits different modulation techniquessuchasplasmadispersioneffectandelectro-opticmaterials.Intheplasmadispersion,dopedsiliconmaterialisexposedtothemodulatingsignalwhichchangesthechargeconcentrationandhencetherefractive index of silicon .This lead s to a phase modulation of the laser power passing through .Electro-optical materials, such as polymers, on the other hand, can introduce a phase shift without doping. Theproposedmodulatorsrepresentacrucialelementinopticalcommunications.Suchdevicesconvertelectricaldatatoopticalandhenceenablecommunicationsoveropticalfibersandfree-spacelaserlinks.Inmoderndays,opticalfiberscontributeabigparttotheultra-high-speedinternetlinkswhichinturnarenecessaryforcutting-edgeapplicationssuchastheinternetofthings(IoT). Exploringsuchpossibilitiesisnotnewtoourteamwhichpossessesavastexperiencein this field with proven successes, theoretically and experimentally ,as detailed in the researchers information section. However, in this network ,we intend outilizeourpreviouslypublishedresultsindesigningnewtypesofcircuitsandalsoextendourworktocoverlightlyexploredareassuchasthemid-infraredrange.Inthemid-infraredregion,moreadvantagesinthedesigncanberealized,suchaslesssensitivitytofabricationtoleranceandstrongermodulationeffects. Ourteamaimsatusingsimulationtools,thatprovedveryeffective,fromLumerical