CMOS-Compatible, AlScN-Based Integrated Electro-Optic Modulator

TL;DR

This paper investigates AlScN as a CMOS-compatible material for integrated electro-optic modulators, demonstrating its potential for scalable photonic device production due to its enhanced nonlinearity and measured electro-optic effect.

Contribution

It introduces AlScN as a new material for integrated photonics, measuring its electro-optic properties and discussing its potential for scalable, efficient modulators.

Findings

AlScN exhibits an enhanced second-order optical nonlinearity.

Measured $V_{pi}L$ around 750 V·cm in AlScN modulators.

Electro-optic response is smaller than expected, with potential causes discussed.

Abstract

Commercial production of integrated photonic devices is limited by scalability of desirable material platforms. We explore a relatively new photonic material, AlScN, for its use in electro-optic modulation. Its CMOS-compatibility could facilitate large-scale production of integrated photonic modulators, and it exhibits an enhanced second-order optical nonlinearity compared to intrinsic AlN, indicating the possibility for efficient modulation. Here, we measure the electro-optic effect in AlScN-based modulators, demonstrating $V_{\pi}L$ around 750 V$\cdot$cm. Since the electro-optic response is smaller than expected, we discuss potential causes for the reduced response and future outlook for AlScN-based photonics.