Numerical Analysis of Electro-Optical Modulators Based on the Amorphous Silicon Technology

This paper reports about an efficient method for the numerical simulation of the electrical and optical characteristics, in both steady state and transient conditions, of free carrier injection- or depletion-based electro-optical active devices, based on the low cost technology of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and related semiconducting alloys, like a-SiC:H. In particular, our experimental results, recently achieved for low-loss, birefringence-free, single-mode waveguide-integrated phase modulators, are used to tune the many simulation parameters and validate the mixed electro-optic simulation environment. The tool is used to design a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI)-based modulator enhancing the performances of previous realized devices.