title: Hybrid graphene plasmonic waveguide modulators.
abstract: The unique optical and electronic properties of graphene make possible the fabrication of novel optoelectronic devices. One of the most exciting graphene characteristics is the tunability by gating which allows one to realize active optical devices. While several types of graphene-based photonic modulators have already been demonstrated, the potential of combining the versatility of graphene with subwavelength field confinement of plasmonic waveguides remains largely unexplored. Here we report fabrication and study of hybrid graphene-plasmonic waveguide modulators. We consider several types of modulators and identify the most promising one for telecom applications. The modulator working at the telecom range is demonstrated, showing a modulation depth of >0.03 dB μm(-1) at low gating voltages for an active device area of just 10 μm(2), characteristics which are already comparable to those of silicon-based waveguide modulators while retaining the benefit of further device miniaturization. Our proof-of-concept results pave the way towards on-chip realization of efficient graphene-based active plasmonic waveguide devices for optical communications.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ansell
authors.affiliation: Centre for Nano Optics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark.
authors.forename: I P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Radko
authors.affiliation: Centre for Nano Optics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: Centre for Nano Optics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark.
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Bozhevolnyi
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Grigorenko