Charge and Field Driven Integrated Optical Modulators: Comparative Analysis

TL;DR

This paper compares charge driven and field driven optical modulators, showing that while FD modulators generally outperform CD ones at conventional scales, CD devices can be competitive in sub-wavelength plasmonic waveguides.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive comparison of emerging electro-optic materials and designs, clarifying performance trade-offs between charge and field driven modulators.

Findings

FD modulators outperform CD in conventional waveguides

CD modulators are competitive in sub-wavelength plasmonic waveguides

Emerging materials like graphene and oxides are evaluated against legacy technologies

Abstract

Electro optic modulators being key for many signal processing systems must adhere to requirements given by both electrical and optical constrains. Distinguishing between charge driven (CD) and field driven (FD) designs, we answer the question of whether fundamental performance benefits can be claimed of modulators based on emerging electro-optic materials. Following primary metrics, we compare the performance of emerging electro-optic and electro-absorption modulators such as graphene, transparent conductive oxides, and Si, based on charge injection with that of the legacy FD modulators, such as those based on lithium niobate and quantum confined Stark effect. We show that for rather fundamental reasons, FD modulators always outperform CD ones in the conventional wavelength scale waveguides. However, for waveguide featuring a sub-wavelength optical mode, such as those assisted by plasmonics, the emerging CD devices are indeed highly competitive.