Abstract
Optical interconnections (interconnects) have been proposed as solutions to the ever-increasing bandwidth requirements and energy consumption in communication systems. Among possible photonic modulation strategies, the Ge quantum well (QW) based quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) stands out, as its strong electro-absorption effect allows for potentially lower power consumption and smaller device sizes compared to other modulation mechanisms. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a thin buffer layer Ge QW QCSE waveguide modulator that evanescently couples to and from an Si waveguide through an adiabatic three-dimensional (3D) taper. Simulations confirm that this 3-D taper yields higher coupling efficiency and improved maintenance of the fundamental mode after coupling compared to a 2-D taper. We also demonstrate that this geometry could potentially work in an integrated modulator-detector system. The combination of thin SiGe epitaxy (i.e., the buffer and device layers) with Si waveguides paves the way to easier integration of Si photonic integrated circuits.
Accepted Version
Published Version
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