Ultra-low voltage drive of high speed optical polymer modulators

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24246063
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Electron device/Electronic equipment
• Research Institution: Kochi University of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Enami Yasufumi 高知工科大学, 工学部, 教授 (90377474)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 光変調器、 / 電気光学ポリマ / 低電圧駆動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I demonstrated my own proposed novel electro-optic (EO) polymer/TiO2 vertical slot waveguide modulators. I reduced the thickness of the EO polymer down to 0.3 micron and obtained the waveguiding and simultaneously reduced the electrode distance. I successfully obtained optical modulation from the vertical slot waveguide at the first time. I increased mode confinement in the thin EO polymer and poling efficiency using low-index and mesoporous sol-gel silica layer as an interfacial layer in the slot waveguide modulators. I also increased the electrical conductivity of the sol-gel silica cladding to increase the poling efficiency. As a result, I obtained comparably low half wave voltage and electrode length produce (VpiL) of 2.0 Vcm even though EO coefficient is lower (78 pm/V) than that of previously demonstrated high performance EO polymers. These demonstrated polymer modulates enables low power consumption in future optical interconnection

Free Research Field

工学