80-micron Interaction Length Silicon Nano-Photonic Crystal Waveguide Modulator

Abstract

An ultra-compact silicon electro-optic modulator is experimentally demonstrated based on silicon photonic crystal (PhC) waveguides for the first time to our knowledge. Modulation operation was demonstrated by carrier injection into an 80mum-long silicon PhC waveguide of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) structure. The modulation depth operating at 1567 nm is 92%. The pi phase shift driving current, Ipi, across the active region is as low as 0.15 mA, which is equivalent to a Vpi of 7.5 mV when a 50Omega impedance-mate structure is applied