Abstract:
We demonstrate a plasmonic Mach-Zehnder (MZ) modulator with a flat frequency response exceeding 170 GHz. The modulator comprises two phase modulators exploiting the Pockels effect of an organic electro-optic material in plasmonic slot waveguides. We further show modulation at 100 GBd NRZ and 60 GBd PAM-4. The electrical drive signals were generated using a 100 GSa/s digital to analog converter (DAC). The high-speed and small-scale devices are relevant for next-generation optical interconnects.
Fig. 5 Eye diagrams and BERs measured at (a) 100 GBd NRZ, (b) 50 GBd PAM-4 (line rate 100 Gbit/s) and (c) 60 GBd PAM-4 (line rate 120 Gbit/s). The eye diagrams were resampled after equalization with a raised cosine shape that resembles the low-pass characteristic of the system.