Demonstration of long-term thermally stable Silicon-Organic Hybrid Modulators at 85 {\deg}C

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates silicon-organic hybrid modulators that maintain stable electro-optic performance at 85°C over long periods, meeting industry standards and enabling reliable high-speed optical communication.

Contribution

First demonstration of thermally stable silicon-organic hybrid modulators with high-temperature endurance according to industry standards.

Findings

Electro-optic activity stabilizes after initial decay at 85°C.

Less than 15% increase in π-voltage after 300h burn-in and 2400h storage.

High-quality 40 Gbit/s OOK signals achieved post-storage.

Abstract

We report on the first demonstration of long-term thermally stable silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) modulators in accordance with Telcordia standards of high-temperature storage. The devices rely on an organic electro-optic sidechain polymer with a high glass transition temperature of 172 {\deg}C. In our high-temperature storage experiments at 85 {\deg}C, we find that the electro-optic activity converges to a constant long-term stable level after an initial decay. If we consider a burn-in time of 300 h, the {\pi}-voltage of the modulators increases on average by less than 15 % if we store the devices for additional 2400 h. The performance of the devices is demonstrated by generating high-quality 40 Gbit/s OOK signals both after the burn-in period and after extended high-temperature storage.