title: Modeling the anisotropic electro-optic interaction in hybrid silicon-ferroelectric optical modulator.
abstract: We present a numerical method to accurately model the electro-optic interaction in anisotropic materials. Specifically, we combine a full-vectorial finite-difference optical mode solver with a radio-frequency solver to analyze the overlap between optical modes and applied electric field. This technique enables a comprehensive understanding on how electro-optic effects modify individual elements in the permittivity tensor of a material. We demonstrate the interest of this approach by designing a modulator that leverages the Pockels effect in a hybrid silicon-BaTiO3slot waveguide. Optimized optical confinement in the active BaTiO3layer as well as design of travelling-wave index-matched electrodes is presented. Most importantly, we show that the overall electro-optic modulation is largely governed by off-diagonal elements in the permittivity tensor. As most of active electro-optic materials are anisotropic, this method paves the way to better understand the physics of electro-optic effects and to improve optical modulators.
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cueff
authors.forename: Pedro Rojo
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Romeo
authors.forename: Régis
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Orobtchouk