Title :
High-frequency, low-crosstalk modulator arrays based on FTC polymer systems
Author :
Udupa, A.H. ; Erlig, H. ; Tsap, B. ; Chang, Y. ; Chang, D. ; Fetterman, H.R. ; Zhang, Hua ; Lee, Sang-Shin ; Wang, Fang ; Steier, W.H. ; Dalton, L.R.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., California Univ., Los Angeles, CA, USA
fDate :
9/30/1999 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A novel electro-optic polymer Furan TetraCyano Indane (FTC) has been utilised in the fabrication of low Vπ, high-speed travelling-wave Mach-Zehnder modulator arrays. The modulators were realised with microstrip transmission lines that were optimised resulting in a line loss of 3.64 dB/cm at 40 GHz. Mach-Zehnder modulators based on this design with 1.6 cm interaction length resulted in devices with Vπ<5 V and a reasonably fiat frequency response up to 40 GHz. Electrical crosstalk measurements were also conducted on adjacent modulators separated by 400 μm in a modulator array. Without the implementation of any crosstalk reduction techniques, the measurement results indicated a crosstalk level of <-40 dB in the frequency band between 0 and 40 GHz. These impressive results were a consequence of the low dielectric constant of the polymer material at microwave frequencies and of the small lateral dimensions of the microstrip lines
Keywords :
Mach-Zehnder interferometers; crosstalk; electro-optical modulation; high-speed optical techniques; microstrip components; microwave photonics; optical arrays; optical polymers; 0 to 40 GHz; 5 V; FTC; electrical crosstalk; electro-optic polymer; furan tetracyanoindane; high-frequency device; high-speed travelling-wave Mach-Zehnder modulator array; loss; microstrip transmission line; microwave dielectric constant;
Journal_Title :
Electronics Letters
DOI :
10.1049/el:19991181
