Highly Linear Broadband Optical Modulator Based on Electro-Optic Polymer

Abstract

In this paper, we present the design, fabrication, and characterization of a traveling-wave directional coupler modulator based on electro-optic polymer, which is able to provide both high linearity and broad bandwidth. The high linearity is realized by introducing Δβ -reversal technique in the two-domain directional coupler. A traveling-wave electrode is designed to function with bandwidth-length product of 302 GHz·cm , by achieving low microwave loss, excellent impedance matching, and velocity matching, as well as smooth electric-field profile transformation. The 3-dB bandwidth of the device is measured to be 10 GHz. The spurious-free dynamic range of 110 dB ±3 Hz <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2/3</sup> is measured over the modulation frequency range of 2-8 GHz. To the best of our knowledge, such high linearity is first measured at the frequency up to 8 GHz. In addition, a 1 × 2 multimode interference 3-dB splitter, a photobleached refractive index taper, and a quasi-vertical taper are used to reduce the optical insertion loss of the device.