Center for Opto-electronic Materials and Devices , Korea Institute of Science and Technology , Seoul 02792 , Republic of Korea.
Nanomaterials Science and Engineering, KIST School , Korea University of Science and Technology , Seoul 02792 , Republic of Korea.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2018 Nov 28;10(47):40781-40788. doi: 10.1021/acsami.8b14638. Epub 2018 Nov 14.
In addition to ultrahigh capacity and speed in data management, future communication networks require enhanced performance via system reconfigurability under limited resources. Extremely high-speed operation renders optical data managing devices as excellent candidates to hybridize with current electronic devices; however, they still need tunability for system reconfiguration in an integrated scheme. We demonstrate an efficient electro-optic (EO) modulator that is mechanically tunable on a multiple optical waveguide system that functioned with a soft capacitor structure incorporating graphene and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The flexible capacitor that generates optical signals by temporal light absorption depending on electrical signals can be mechanically detached and reattached from and onto a rigid surface of the waveguide. It provides either the on or off state of the modulating operation, and enables switching of the working waveguides, following the reconfigured data routes. Quality-controlled graphene mainly provides the EO operation, and PMMA plays an important role as both the flexible dielectric layer in the capacitor and the passivation layer for graphene protection. The modulation effects of the manually prepared graphene-PMMA capacitor mechanically adjusted onto a side-polished optical fiber (D-shaped fiber) are investigated in terms of the extinction ratio (ER) of the transmitting light and the operational bandwidth. We successfully display an ER of the modulator up to 19.8 dB with a voltage control ranging from -50 to 50 V. Its stable operation is verified with a modulation speed up to 2.5 MHz.
除了超高的数据管理容量和速度外，未来的通信网络还需要通过有限资源下的系统可重构性来提高性能。超高速操作使光数据管理设备成为与当前电子设备混合的优秀候选者；然而，它们仍然需要在集成方案中进行系统重新配置的可调谐性。我们展示了一种高效的电光（EO）调制器，该调制器在包含石墨烯和聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯（PMMA）的软电容器结构上的多个光波导系统上具有机械可调性。该柔性电容器通过根据电信号吸收光信号来产生光学信号，可以从波导的刚性表面上机械地拆卸和重新连接。它提供调制操作的开或关状态，并能够根据重新配置的数据路由切换工作波导。质量控制的石墨烯主要提供 EO 操作，而 PMMA 作为电容器的柔性介电层和石墨烯保护的钝化层都起着重要作用。我们研究了通过手动制备的石墨烯-PMMA 电容器在侧面抛光光纤（D 形光纤）上进行机械调整后的调制效果，以评估传输光的消光比（ER）和工作带宽。我们成功地展示了调制器的 ER 高达 19.8 dB，电压控制范围从-50 到 50 V。我们还通过高达 2.5 MHz 的调制速度验证了其稳定的工作性能。
