title: Pockels effect based fully integrated, strained silicon electro-optic modulator.
abstract: We demonstrate for the first time a fully integrated electro-optic modulator based on locally strained silicon rib-waveguides. By depositing a Si3N4 strain layer directly on top of the silicon waveguide the silicon crystal is asymmetrically distorted. Thus its inversion symmetry is broken and a linear electro-optic effect is induced. Electro-optic characterization yields a record high value χ(2)(yyz) = 122 pm/V for the second-order susceptibility of the strained silicon waveguide and a strict linear dependence between the applied modulation voltage V(mod) and the resulting effective index change Δn(eff). Spatially resolved micro-Raman and terahertz (THz) difference frequency generation (DFG) experiments provide in-depth insight into the origin of the electro-optic effect by correlating the local strain distribution with the observed second-order optical activity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Semiconductor Electronics (IHT), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. chmielak@iht.rwth-aachen.de
authors.forename: Bartos
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chmielak
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Waldow
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Matheisen
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ripperda
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bolten
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wahlbrink
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagel
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Merget
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kurz