Low-loss Electrically Controllable Vertical Directional Couplers

Abstract

We propose a nearly lossless, compact, electrically modulated vertical directional coupler, which is based on the controllable evanescent coupling in a previously proposed graphene-assisted total internal reflection (GA-FTIR) scheme. In the proposed device, two single-mode waveguides are separate by graphene-SiO2-graphene layers. By changing the chemical potential of the graphene layers with a gate voltage, the coupling strength between the waveguides, and hence the coupling length of the directional coupler, is controlled. Therefore, for a properly chosen, fixed device length, when an input wave is launched into one of the waveguides, the ratio of their output powers can be controlled electrically. The operation of the proposed device is analyzed, with the dispersion relations calculated using a model of a one-dimensional slab waveguide. The supermodes in the coupled waveguide are calculated using the finite-element method to estimate the coupling length, realistic devices are designed, and their performance was confirmed using the finite-difference time-domain method. The designed 3 μm by 1 μm device achieves an insertion loss of less than 0.11 dB, and a 24-dB extinction ratio between bar and cross states. The proposed low-loss device could enable integrated modulation of a strong optical signal, without thermal buildup.