HIGH SPEED ELECTRO-OPTIC MODULATORS

MOHAN D
DEPT. OF ECE NITK SURATHKAL
CONTENTS :

 Introduction
 Pockels and kerr effects
 Phase modulator
 Intensity modulators
 Applications
 Conclusions
 References
 The electro-optic effect is the change in the refractive index of a material resulting from the application of a dc or
low-frequency electric field

An electric field applied to the molecules of a liquid crystal causes them to alter their orientations. This leads to
changes in the optical properties of the medium, i.e., it exhibits an electro-optic effect.
The dependence of the refractive index on the applied electric field takes one of two forms:
 The refractive index changes in proportion to the applied electric field, in which case the effect is known as the
linear electro-optic effect or the Pockels effect.
 The refractive index changes in proportion to the square of the applied electric field, in which case the effect is
known as the quadratic electro-optic effect or the Kerr effect.

Friedrich Pockels (1865-1913) was first to John Kerr (1824-1907) discovered the
describe the linear electro-optic effect in 1893. quadratic electro-optic effect in 1875.
Materials whose refractive index can be modified by means of an applied electric field are useful for
producing electrically controllable optical devices, as indicated by the following examples:
 A lens made of a material whose refractive index can be varied is a lens of controllable focal length.
 A prism whose beam bending ability is controllable can be used as an optical scanning device.
 Light transmitted through a transparent plate of controllable refractive index undergoes a controllable phase shift.
The plate can be used as an optical phase modulator.
Pockels and Kerr Effects
 The refractive index of an electro-optic medium is a function n(E) of the applied electric field E. This function
varies only slightly with E so that it can be expanded in a Taylor’s series about E = 0,

 n = n(0), a1= (dn/dE) for E=0 and a2 =(d^2n/dE^2) ) for E=0. in terms of two new coefficients ᴦ= -2a1/n^3 and
. = -a2/n^3, known as the electro-optic coefficients, so that
* Pockels effect :
The medium is then known as a Pockels medium (or a Pockels cell). The coefficient r is called the Pockels coefficient or
the linear electro-optic coefficient
 Typical values of r lie in the range l0^- l2 to l0^ -l0 m/V (1 to 100 pm/V).

* Kerr effect :
 If the material is centrosymmetric, as is the case for gases, liquids, and certain crystals, n(E) must be an even
symmetric function The material is then known as a Kerr medium (or a Kerr cell). The parameter called the Kerr
coefficient or the quadratic electro-optic coefficient.
^2
 Typical values of are l0^-18to l0^-l4 m^2/V^2
Types of Electro-optic Modulators:
 Phase Modulators
 Polarization Modulators
 Amplitude or Intensity Modulators
 Temperature Drifts; Thermally Compensated Devices
 Traveling-Wave Modulators
Phase Modulators
 When a beam of light traverses a Pockels cell of length L to which an electric field E is applied, it undergoes a
phase shift where is the free-space wavelength.
… here

 If the electric field is obtained by applying a voltage V across two faces of the cell separated by distance d, then
E = V/d,

…here
 The parameter Vpi, known as the half-wave voltage, is the applied voltage at which the phase shift changes by pi.
 The electric field may be applied in a direction perpendicular to the direction of light propagation (transverse
modulators) or parallel to that direction (longitudinal modulators)

fig. (a) Longitudinal modulator. (b) Transverse modulator.

 Electra-optic modulators can also be constructed as integrated-optical devices. These devices operate at higher
speeds and lower voltages than do bulk devices. An optical waveguide is fabricated in an electro-optic substrate
(often LiNbO3,) by indiffusing a material such as titanium to increase the refractive index.

fig. integrated-optical phase modulator using the electro-optic effect.

 Because the configuration is transverse and the width of the waveguide is much smaller than its length (d<<L), the
half-wave voltage can be as small as a few volts. These modulators have been operated at speeds in excess of 100
GHz.
 V=0 ; No phase change  Same as transmitting 0
 V= ; out of phase  Same as transmitting 1 ….BPSK..!
QPSK :
Phase shift 0 pi/2 pi 3pi/2
Qpsk dig 00 01 10 11

V(t) 0 /2 3 /2
 V1= 0,Vpi V2 = 0,Vpi/2

 PM1 --------------- PM2  00, 01, 10, 11

 We can achieve higher modulations schemes by cascading these.

 Intensity Modulators: Use of a Phase Modulator in an interferometer

 A phase modulator placed in one branch of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer can serve as an intensity modulator.
The transmittance of the interferometer T(V) = ɪo/ɪi varies periodically with the applied voltage V. By operating in
a limited region near point B, the device acts as a linear intensity modulator. If V is switched between points A
and C, the device serves as an optical switch.
 If the beamsplitters divide the optical power equally, the transmitted intensity ɪo is related to the incident
intensity ɪi by

 The transmittance of the device is therefore a function of the applied voltage V,

 This function is plotted in fig for an arbitrary value of .The device may be operated as a linear intensity
modulator by adjusting the optical path difference so that =pi/2 and operating in the nearly linear region
around T = 0.5. Alternatively, the optical path difference may be adjusted so that is a multiple of 2pi. In this
case T(0) = 1 and T(Vpi) = 0, so that the modulator switches the light on and off as V is switched between 0 and
Vpi.
 A Mach-Zehnder intensity modulator may also be constructed in the form of an integrated-optical device.
Waveguides are placed on a substrate in the geometry. The beamsplitters are implemented by the use of
waveguide Y’s, The optical input and output may be carried by optical fibers.

fig . An integrated-optical intensity modulator (or optical switch). A Mach-Zehnder interferometer and an electro-optic phase
modulator are implemented using optical waveguides fabricated from a material such as LiNbO3.
 Commercially available integrated-optical modulators generally operate at speeds of a few GHz but modulation
speeds exceeding 25 GHz have been achieved.
APPLICATIONS OF EOMS

 EO devices which can be used for controlling the power (intensity modulators), phase (phase modulators) or
polarization of light with an electrical control signal.
 modulating the power of a laser beam, e.g. for laser printing, high-speed digital data recording, or high-speed
optical communications.
 in laser frequency stabilization schemes, e.g. with the Pound–Drever–Hall method
 Q switching of solid-state lasers (where the EOM serves to block the laser resonator before the pulse is to be
emitted)
 active mode locking (where the EOM modulates the resonator losses or the optical phase with the round-trip
frequency or a multiple thereof)
 switching pulses in pulse pickers, regenerative amplifiers and cavity-dumped lasers.
CONCLUSION

 Phase modulator is a high performance , low drive voltage external optical modulator
designed for developing next generation transmission systems. The increased bandwidth
allows for chirp control in high speed data communication.
REFERENCES

 https://www.rp-photonics.com/electro_optic_modulators.html
 Fundamentals of Photonics Bahaa E. A. Saleh, Malvin Carl Teich
 Deposited silicon high-speed integrated electro-optic modulator Kyle Preston1, Sasikanth Manipatruni1, Alexander
Gondarenko2, Carl B. Poitras1, and Michal Lipson1*
 40 Gbit/s silicon optical modulator for highspeed applications L. Liao, A. Liu, D. Rubin, J. Basak,Y. Chetrit, H.
Nguyen,R. Cohen, N. Izhaky and M. Paniccia
 Youtube videos
THANK YOU