Ultrafast (10 GHz) mid-IR modulator based on ultra-fast electrical switching of the light-matter coupling

TL;DR

This paper presents a room-temperature, ultrafast mid-infrared amplitude modulator operating at up to 20 GHz, utilizing rapid electrical switching of light-matter coupling in a semiconductor resonator array.

Contribution

It introduces a novel electrically tunable surface device that switches between weak and strong light-matter coupling regimes to modulate mid-IR radiation at unprecedented speeds.

Findings

Operates at frequencies up to 20 GHz with a -3dB cutoff at 8.2 GHz.

Maintains linear transmission with RF power from 0dBm to 9dBm.

Shows weak saturation at optical powers up to 25 mW.

Abstract

We demonstrate a free-space amplitude modulator for mid-infrared radiation (lambda=9.6 um) that operates at room temperature up to at least 20 GHz (above the -3dB cutoff frequency measured at 8.2 GHz). The device relies on the ultra-fast transition between weak and strong-coupling regimes induced by the variation of the applied bias voltage. Such transition induces a modulation of the device reflectivity. It is made of a semiconductor heterostructure enclosed in a judiciously designed array of metal-metal optical resonators, that - all-together - behave as an electrically tunable surface. At negative bias, it operates in the weak light-matter coupling regime. Upon application of an appropriate positive bias, the quantum wells populate with electrons and the device transitions to the strong-coupling regime. The modulator transmission keeps linear with input RF power in the 0dBm - 9dBm range. The increase of optical powers up to 25 mW exhibit a weak beginning saturation a little bit below.