Towards CMOS-compatible nanophotonics: ultra-compact modulators using alternative plasmonic materials

Viktoriia E Babicheva, Nathaniel Kinsey, Gururaj V. Naik, Marcello Ferrera, Andrei V. Lavrinenko, Vladimir M. Shalaev, Alexandra Boltasseva*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

136 Citations (Scopus)
1234 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

We propose several planar layouts of ultra-compact plasmonic modulators that utilize alternative plasmonic materials such as transparent conducting oxides and titanium nitride. The modulation is achieved by tuning the carrier concentration in a transparent conducting oxide layer into and out of the plasmon resonance with an applied electric field. The resonance significantly increases the absorption coefficient of the modulator, which enables larger modulation depth. We show that an extinction ratio of 46 dB/mu m can be achieved, allowing for a 3-dB modulation depth in much less than one micron at the telecommunication wavelength. Our multilayer structures can be integrated with existing plasmonic and photonic waveguides as well as novel semiconductor-based hybrid photonic/electronic circuits. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)27326-27337
Number of pages12
JournalOptics Express
Volume21
Issue number22
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Nov 2013

Keywords

  • WAVE-GUIDES
  • POLARITONS
  • METAMATERIALS
  • WAVELENGTHS
  • OPTICS
  • NITRIDE

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