ELECTRO-OPTICAL MODULATOR DEVICES

• US 20160363834A1
• Filed: 11/25/2014
• Published: 12/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: CHOI, Jung Han, YAN, Lei, VELTHAUS, Karl-Otto, RAUSCH, Marko
• Granted Patent: US 9,835,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/212 Mach-Zehnder type
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/2255 controlled by a high-frequency electromagnetic component in an electric waveguide structure
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/127 travelling wave

Abstract

An electro-optical modulator device is provided. The electro-optical modulator device comprises at least one electro-optical modulator having a first and a second optical waveguide and an electrode arrangement for applying a voltage across the optical waveguide, wherein the electrode arrangement comprises a plurality of first waveguide electrodes and a plurality of second waveguide electrodes arranged on top of the first and the second optical waveguide, respectively, wherein the first and second waveguide electrodes are capacitively coupled to one another; and at least one driver unit for supplying a voltage to the electrode arrangement; and an electrical connection between the driver unit and the electrode arrangement. The electrical connection between the driver unit and the electrode arrangement comprises a flexible coplanar strip line.

Claims

1. An electro-optical modulator device, comprising

at least one electro-optical modulator having a first and a second optical waveguide and an electrode arrangement for applying a voltage across the optical waveguide,

wherein the electrode arrangement comprises a plurality of first waveguide electrodes and a plurality of second waveguide electrodes arranged on top of the first and the second optical waveguide, respectively,

wherein the first and second waveguide electrodes are capacitively coupled to one another;

and

at least one driver unit for supplying a voltage to the electrode arrangement; and

an electrical connection between the driver unit and the electrode arrangement;

wherein the electrode arrangement comprises a first electrical line connected to the first waveguide electrodes and a second electrical line connected to the second waveguide electrodes, the first and the second electrical line forming a coplanar strip line,

wherein the electrical connection between the driver unit and the electrode arrangement comprises a flexible coplanar strip line,

wherein the flexible coplanar strip line comprises at least two electrical lines,

wherein a first one of the electrical lines of the flexible coplanar strip line is connected to the first electrical line of the electrode arrangement and a second one of the electrical lines of the flexible coplanar strip line is connected to the second electrical line of the electrode arrangement, and

wherein the driver unit is configured for supplying a differential voltage signal to the coplanar strip line formed by the first and the second electrical line of the electrode arrangement via the first and the second electrical line of the flexible coplanar strip line.

2. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two electrical lines of the flexible coplanar strip line are arranged in and/or on at least one electrically isolating layer.

3. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible coplanar strip line comprises exactly two electrical lines.

4. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical lines of the flexible coplanar strip line are bonded to the first and the second electrical line of the electrode arrangement, respectively.

5. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distance between the first and the second electrical line of the flexible coplanar strip line is less than 25 μ

m, less than 10 μ

m or less than 5 μ

m.

6. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and the second electrical line of the flexible coplanar strip line are arranged at least partially adjacent to one another in a direction perpendicular to their longitudinal extension.

7. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and the second electrical line of the flexible coplanar strip line are arranged at least partially above one another in a direction perpendicular to the at least one isolating layer.

8. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and/or the second line is arranged on a first isolating layer and covered by a second isolating layer.

9. The modulator device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second electrical line comprises a first portion arranged on a first isolating layer and a second portion arranged on a second isolating layer extending between the first and the second portion.

10. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrode arrangement is disposed on a first substrate and the driver unit is disposed on second substrate, wherein the first substrate (70) is arranged in a distance from the second substrate (80).

11. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein none of the electrical lines of the electrode arrangement and/or of the flexible coplanar strip line is grounded.

12. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driver unit is configured for supplying a first varying signal to the first electrical line of the electrode arrangement via the first electrical line of the flexible coplanar strip line and a second varying signal to the second electrical line of the electrode arrangement via the second electrical line of the flexible coplanar strip line.

13. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and the second electrical line of the flexible coplanar strip line are formed at least partially as geometrically symmetric structures.

14. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and the second electrical line of the flexible coplanar strip line are formed as longitudinal structures which at least essentially extend parallel to one another.

15. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and the second electrical line of the flexible coplanar strip line form an electrical waveguide for conveying a high frequency mode from the driver unit to the modulator impedance matched to the first and the second electrical line of the electrode arrangement such that an electrical mode is continuously guided via the flexible coplanar strip line and the electrode arrangement.

16. The modulator device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible coplanar strip line is part of a flexible contact structure that comprises a plurality of conducting lines for connecting external devices to input contacts of the driver unit.

17. An electro-optical modulator device, comprising

at least one electro-optical modulator having a first and a second optical waveguide and an electrode arrangement for applying a voltage across the optical waveguide,

wherein the electrode arrangement comprises a plurality of first waveguide electrodes and a plurality of second waveguide electrodes arranged on top of the first and the second optical waveguide, respectively,

wherein the first and second waveguide electrodes are capacitively coupled to one another;

an electrical connection between a plurality of driver units and the electrode arrangement;

wherein each one of the driver units is connected to one of the first waveguide electrodes and to one of the second waveguide electrodes via an electrical connection that comprises a flexible coplanar strip line.

18. An electro-optical modulator device, comprising

at least one electro-optical phase modulator having at least one active optical waveguide and an electrode arrangement for applying a voltage across the active optical waveguide,

wherein the electrode arrangement comprises a plurality of waveguide electrodes arranged on top of capacitive segments formed by the optical waveguide;

at least one optically inactive capacitive element;

at least one driver unit for supplying a voltage to the electrode arrangement;

an electrical connection between the at least one driver unit driver unit and the electrode arrangement, wherein the waveguide electrodes are capacitively coupled to the at least one driver unit via the capacitive segments and the at least one capacitive element and the electrical connection,

wherein the electrical connection between the at least one driver unit and the electrode arrangement comprises a flexible coplanar strip line.

19. An electro-optical modulator device, comprising

at least one electro-optical modulator having at least one optical waveguide and an electrode arrangement for applying a voltage across the optical waveguide,

wherein the electrode arrangement comprises a first and a second electrical line forming a coplanar strip line;

and

at least one terminating resistor terminating the first and a second electrical line; and

an electrical connection between the terminating resistor and first and a second electrical line;

wherein the electrical connection between the terminating resistor and the first and the second electrical line comprises a flexible coplanar strip line.