Modeling of strain-induced Pockels effect in Silicon

TL;DR

This paper introduces a theoretical model for the strain-induced Pockels effect in silicon, linking the electro-optic response to strain gradients, aiding the design of integrated optical devices.

Contribution

It presents a simplified, generalizable model connecting second order susceptibility to strain gradients in silicon, advancing optical device design.

Findings

Derived a linear relation between susceptibility tensor and strain gradient tensor.

Identified fifteen coefficients governing the electro-optic response.

Provided a practical framework for optimizing strained silicon optical devices.

Abstract

We propose a theoretical model to describe the strain-induced linear electro-optic (Pockels) effect in centro-symmetric crystals. The general formulation is presented and the specific case of the strained silicon is investigated in detail because of its attractive properties for integrated optics. The outcome of this analysis is a linear relation between the second order susceptibility tensor and the strain gradient tensor, depending generically on fifteen coefficients. The proposed model greatly simplifies the description of the electro-optic effect in strained silicon waveguides, providing a powerful and effective tool for design and optimization of optical devices.