Toward a Realizable Design of an On-Chip Optically Driven Quantum Interferometer at Telecommunication Wavelengths

Abstract

High-speed optical modulation based on photonic integrated circuits is important for various applications in all-optical signal processing, yet conventional strategies suffer from a kHz-level rate bottleneck. This study describes an optically driven Mach-Zehnder interferometer for integrated silicon-on-insulator platforms, where differential phase shift is achieved by the instantaneous nonlinear Kerr effect. Calculations show that, by choosing a suitable pulsed pump, the intrinsic loss in crystalline silicon can be greatly mitigated, which is especially relevant for emerging on-chip quantum interference applications operating at the telecommunication wavelength of 1.55 $\ensuremath{\mu}$m.