Optical modulators using semiconductor nano-structures: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:36, 8 June 2009

Revision as of 13:37, 8 June 2009

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[[Optical modulators]] can be implemented using Semiconductor Nano-structures to increase the performance like high operation, high stability, high speed response, and highly compact system. Highly compact electro-optical modulators have been demonstrated in compound semiconductors.<ref>Sadagopan, T., Choi, S. J., Dapkus, P. D. & Bond, A. E. Digest of the LEOS Summer Topical Meetings MC2–-3 (IEEE, Piscataway, New Jersey (2004)</ref> However, in silicon, electro-optical modulation has been demonstrated only in large structures, and is therefore inappropriate for effective on-chip

integration. Electro-optical control of light on silicon is challenging owing to its weak electro-optical properties. The large dimensions of previously demonstrated structures were necessary to achieve a significant modulation of the transmission in spite of the small change of refractive index of silicon. Liu et al. have recently demonstrated a high-speed silicon optical modulator based on a metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) configuration<ref>Liu, A. et al. Nature 427, 615–618 (2004)</ref>. Their work showed a high-speed optical active device on silicon—acritical milestone towards [[optoelectronic]] integration on silicon.