500 GHz plasmonic Mach-Zehnder modulator enabling sub-THz microwave photonics

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a plasmonic Mach-Zehnder modulator capable of operating beyond 500 GHz, offering high power handling, linearity, and a compact design, enabling advanced sub-THz wireless and photonic applications.

Contribution

The paper presents the first experimental demonstration of a plasmonic modulator with flat response beyond 500 GHz, combining high power, linearity, and compactness for sub-THz applications.

Findings

Record-high flat frequency response beyond 500 GHz

High power handling and high linearity in a compact device

Successful implementation of sub-THz radio-over-fiber link

Abstract

Broadband electro-optic intensity modulators are essential to convert electrical signals to the optical domain. The growing interest in THz wireless applications demands modulators with frequency responses to the sub-THz range, high power handling and very low nonlinear distortions, simultaneously. However, a modulator with all those characteristics has not been demonstrated to date. Here we experimentally demonstrate that plasmonic modulators do not trade off any performance parameter, featuring - at the same time - a short length of 10s of micrometers, record-high flat frequency response beyond 500 GHz, high power handling and high linearity, and we use them to create a sub-THz radio-over-fiber analog optical link. These devices have the potential to become a new tool in the general field of microwave photonics, making the sub-THz range accessible to e.g. 5G wireless communications, antenna remoting, IoT, sensing, and more.