Resonant plasmonic micro-racetrack modulators with high bandwidth and high temperature tolerance
Marco Eppenberger, Andreas Messner, Bertold Ian Bitachon, Wolfgang Heni, Tobias Blatter, Patrick Habegger, Marcel Destraz, Eva De Leo, Norbert Meier, Nino Del Medico, Claudia Hoessbacher, Benedikt Baeuerle, Juerg Leuthold
Abstract
Abstract Resonant modulators encode electrical data onto wavelength-multiplexed optical carriers. Today, silicon microring modulators are perceived as promising to implement such links; however, they provide limited bandwidth and need thermal stabilization systems. Here we present plasmonic micro-racetrack modulators as a potential successor of silicon microrings: they are equally compact and compatible with complementary-metal–oxide–semiconductor-level driving voltages, but offer electro-optical bandwidths of 176 GHz, a 28 times improved stability against operating temperature changes and no self-heating effects. The temperature-resistant organic electro-optic material enables operation at 85 °C device temperature. We show intensity-modulated transmission of up to 408 Gbps at 12.3 femtojoules per bit with a single resonant modulator. Plasmonic micro-racetrack modulators offer a solution to encode high data rates (for example, the 1.6 Tbps envisioned by next-generation communications links) at a small footprint, with low power consumption and marginal, if no, temperature control.