All-fiber optical modulator based on no-core fiber and magnetic fluid as cladding

An all-fiber optical modulator, which is composed of a piece of no-core fiber spliced between two sections of singlemode fibers and uses magnetic fluid（MF） as the cladding of the no-core fiber section, is proposed and investigated experimentally. Due to the tunable refractive index and absorption coefficient of MF, the output intensity can be modulated by controlling an applied magnetic field. The dependences of the modulator＇s temporal response on the working wavelength,the magnetic field strength（H）, and the MF＇s concentration are investigated experimentally. The results are explained qualitatively by the dynamic response process of MF under the action of a magnetic field. The findings are helpful for optimizing this kind of modulator.

An Electrochromic Nickel Phosphate Film for Large-Area Smart Window with Ultra-Large Optical Modulation

Exploring materials with high electrochemical activity is of keen interest for electrochemistry-controlled optical and energy storage devices.However,it remains a great challenge for transition metal oxides to meet this feature due to their low electron conductivity and insufficient reaction sites.Here,we propose a type of transition metal phosphate(NiHPO_(4)·3H_(2)O,NHP)by a facile and scalable electrodeposition method,which can achieve the capability of efficient ion accommodation and injection/extraction for electrochromic energy storage applications.Specifically,the NHP film with an ultra-high transmittance(approach to 100%)achieves a large optical modulation(90.8%at 500 nm),high coloration efficiency(75.4 cm^(2)C^(-1)at 500 nm),and a high specific capacity of 47.8 mAh g^(-1)at 0.4 A g^(-1).Furthermore,the transformation mechanism of NHP upon electrochemical reaction is systematically elucidated using in situ and ex situ techniques.Ultimately,a large-area electrochromic smart window with 100 cm^(2)is constructed based on the NHP electrode,displaying superior electrochromic energy storage performance in regulating natural light and storing electrical charges.Our findings may open up new strategies for developing advanced electrochromic energy storage materials and smart windows.

Novel Electro-Optical Modulator Utilizing GeO_2-Doped Silica Waveguide

In order to achieve a modulator with broad bandwidth and perfect impedance match,a novel electro-optical modulator based on GeO2-doped silica waveguides on silicon substrate is designed.The finite element model of the whole electro-optical modulator is established by means of ANSYS.With the finite element method analysis,the performance of the novel modulator is predicted.The simulation reveals that the designed modulator operates with a product of 3 dB optical bandwidth and modulating length of 226.59 GHz·cm,and a characteristic impedance of 51.6 Ω at 1 550 nm wavelength.Moreover,the calculated electrical reflected power of coplanar waveguide electrode is below-20 dB in the frequency ranging from 45 MHz to 65 GHz.Therefore,the designed modulator has wide modulation bandwidth and perfect impedance match.

Optical modulation of repaired damage site on fused silica produced by CO2 laser rapid ablation mitigation

CO2 laser rapid ablation mitigation(RAM)of fused silica has been used in high-power laser systems owing to its advantages of high efficiency,and ease of implementing batch and automated repairing.In order to study the effect of repaired morphology of RAM on laser modulation and to improve laser damage threshold of optics,an finite element method(FEM)mathematical model of 351 nm laser irradiating fused silica optics is developed based on Maxwell electromagnetic field equations,to explore the 3D near-field light intensity distribution inside optics with repaired site on its surface.The influences of the cone angle and the size of the repaired site on incident laser modulation are studied as well.The results have shown that for the repaired site with a cone angle of 73.3°,the light intensity distribution has obvious three-dimensional characteristics.The relative light intensity on z-section has a circularly distribution,and the radius of the annular intensification zone increases with the decrease of z.While the distribution of maximum relative light intensity on y-section is parabolical with the increase of y.As the cone angle of the repaired site decreases,the effect of the repaired surface on light modulation becomes stronger,leading to a weak resistance to laser damage.Moreover,the large size repaired site would also reduce the laser damage threshold.Therefore,a repaired site with a larger cone angle and smaller size is preferred in practical CO2 laser repairing of surface damage.This work will provide theoretical guidance for the design of repaired surface topography,as well as the improvement of RAM process.

Scheme for Teleportation of an Unknown Frequency State by Using an Acousto-optical Modulator

A very simple scheme is presented for teleporting an unknown frequency state with the successful probability of 50%. Two acoustic-optical modulators and four narrow band photodetectors in the proposed scheme are used. One advantage of our scheme is that no Bell-state measurement is need and no any unitary transformation is performed.

Research progress of cholesteric liquid crystals with broadband reflection characteristics in application of intelligent optical modulation materials

Cholesteric liquid crystals（CLCs） have recently sparked an enormous amount of interest in the development of soft matter materials due to their unique ability to self-organize into a helical supra-molecular architecture and their excellent selective reflection of light based on the Bragg relationship.Nowadays,by the virtue of building the self-organized nanostructures with pitch gradient or non-uniform pitch distribution,extensive work has already been performed to obtain CLC films with a broad reflection band.Based on authors＇ many years＇ research experience,this critical review systematically summarizes the physical and optical background of the CLCs with broadband reflection characteristics,methods to obtain broadband reflection of CLCs,as well as the application in the field of intelligent optical modulation materials.Combined with the research status and the advantages in the field,the important basic and applied scientific problems in the research direction are also introduced.

Waveguide-integrated optical modulators with two-dimensional materials

Waveguide-integrated optical modulators are indispensable for on-chip optical interconnects and optical computing.To cope with the ever-increasing amount of data being generated and consumed,ultrafast waveguide-integrated optical modulators with low energy consumption are highly demanded.In recent years,two-dimensional(2D)materials have attracted a lot of attention and have provided tremendous opportunities for the development of high-performance waveguide-integrated optical modulators because of their extraordinary optoelectronic properties and versatile compatibility.This paper reviews the state-of-the-art waveguide-integrated optical modulators with 2D materials,providing researchers with the developing trends in the field and allowing them to identify existing challenges and promising potential solutions.First,the concept and fundamental mechanisms of optical modulation with 2D materials are summarized.Second,a review of waveguide-integrated optical modulators employing electro-optic,all-optic,and thermo-optic effects is provided.Finally,the challenges and perspectives of waveguide-integrated modulators with 2D materials are discussed.

Multifactor roadmap for designing low-power-consumed micro thermoelectric thermostats in a closed-loop integrated 5G optical module

As the core components of fifth-generation(5G)communication technology,optical modules should be consistently miniaturized in size while improving their level of integration.This inevitably leads to a dramatic spike in power consumption and a consequent increase in heat flow density when operating in a confined space.To ensure a successful start-up and operation of 5G optical modules,active cooling and precise temperature control via the Peltier effect in confined space is essential yet challenging.In this work,p-type Bi_(0.5)Sb_(1.5)Te_(3)and n-type Bi_(2)Te_(2.7)Se_(0.3)bulk thermoelectric(TE)materials are used,and a micro thermoelectric thermostat(micro-TET)(device size,2×9.3×1.1mm^(3);leg size,0.4×0.4×0.5mm^(3);number of legs,44)is successfully integrated into a 5G optical module with Quad Small Form Pluggable 28 interface.As a result,the internal temperature of this kind of optical module is always maintained at 45.7℃ and the optical power is up to 7.4 dBm.Furthermore,a multifactor design roadmap is created based on a 3D numerical model using the ANSYS finite element method,taking into account the number of legs(N),leg width(W),leg length(L),filling atmosphere,electric contact resistance(Rec),thermal contact resistance(Rtc),ambient temperature(Ta),and the heat generated by the laser source(QL).It facilitates the integrated fabrication of micro-TET,and shows the way to enhance packaging and performance under different operating conditions.According to the roadmap,the micro-TET(2×9.3×1mm^(3),W=0.3 mm,L=0.4 mm,N=68 legs)is fabricated and consumes only 0.89W in cooling mode(Q_(L)=0.7W,T_(a)=80℃)and 0.36Win heating mode(T_(a)=0℃)to maintain the laser temperature of 50℃.This research will hopefully be applied to other microprocessors for precise temperature control and integrated manufacturing.

An all-optical modulator based on a stereo graphene–microfiber structure

An in-line,all-optical fiber modulator based on a stereo graphene–microfiber structure(GMF)utilizing the lab-on-rod technique was demonstrated in this study.Owing to its unique spring-like geometry,an ultra-long GMF interaction can be achieved,and a modulation depth of,7.5 dB(,2.5 dB)and a modulation efficiency of,0.2 dB mW^(-1)(,0.07 dB mW^(-1))were demonstrated for two polarization states.The modulation depth and modulation efficiency are more than one order of magnitude larger than those of other graphene–microfiber hybrid all-optical modulators,although at the cost of a higher insertion loss.By further optimizing the transferring and cleaning process,the upper limit of the modulation depth is mainly determined by the loss from the intrinsic absorption,which depends on the light–graphene interaction.Then,the modulator can quickly switch between the on-state and the off-state with a theoretically maximized modulation depth of tens of decibels.This modulator is compatible with the current fiber-optic communication systems and may be applied in the near future to meet the impending need for ultrafast optical signal processing.

Recent developments in graphene-based optical modulators

Graphene has shown promising perspectives in optical active components due to the large active-control of its permittivity-variation. This paper systematically reviews the recent developments ofgraphene-based optical modulators, including material property, different integration schemes, single-layer graphene-based modulator, multi-layer and few-layer graphene-based modulators, corresponding figure-of-merits, wavelength/temperature tolerance, and graphene-based fiber-optic modulator. The different treatments for graphene＇s isotropic and aniso- tropic property were also discussed. The results showed graphene is an excellent material for enhancing silicon＇s weak modulation capability after it is integrated into the silicon platform, and has great potentials for complemen- tary metal oxide semiconductor （CMOS） compatible optical devices, showing significant influence on optical interconnects in future integrated optoelectronic circuits.

Nano-Cs_(x)WO_(3):Ultra-broadband nonlinear optical modulator for near-infrared and mid-infrared ultrafast fiber lasers generation

Saturable absorbers(SAs)covering wavelengths from near-infrared(NIR)to mid-infrared(MIR)band are required for mode-locking and Q-switching lasers in muti-band wavelengths.Here,broadband nonlinear optical property was discovered in Cs_(x)WO_(3) nanorods(NRs),which as a novel non-stoichiometric SA for realizing ultrafast fiber lasers is first demonstrated.The Cs_(x)WO_(3) NRs based SA exhibited good mode-locking ability in three key wavelengths from NIR to MIR region,which is a key advantage over the most reported broadband SAs.The given Cs_(x)WO_(3) NRs showed a broadband optical absorption from 800 to 3,200 nm,and excellent SA properties at 1-μm,1.5-μm,and 2-μm optical bands.Employing such SA,the ultrashort pulse lasers with a pulse duration/repetition rate of 530 fs/37.42 MHz at 1,567 nm and 5.6 ps/41.50 MHz at 1,965 nm from Er-and Tm-doped fiber lasers(TDFL)were realized separately.In addition,a stable mode locked operation at 1,030 nm with a repetition rate of 48.80 MHz was also achieved from Yb-doped fiber laser(YDFL).This work not only offers a new and reliable broadband mode locker for ultrafast laser generation,but also broadens the application of Cs_(x)WO_(3) materials in the field of nonlinear fiber optics.

Broadband all-fiber optical phase modulator based on photo-thermal effect in a gas-filled hollow-core fiber

We report broadband all-fiber optical phase modulation based on the photo-thermal effect in a gas-filled hollow-core fiber.The phase modulation dynamics are studied by multi-physics simulation.A phase modulator is fabricated using a 5.6-cm-long anti-resonant hollow-core fiber with pure acetylene filling.It has a half-wave optical power of 289 mW at 100 kHz and an average insertion loss 0.6 dB over a broad wavelength range from 1450 to 1650 nm.The rise and fall time constants are 3.5 and 3.7μs,respectively,2–3 orders of magnitude better than the previously reported microfiber-based photo-thermal phase modulators.The gas-filled hollow-core waveguide configuration is promising for optical phase modulation from ultraviolet to mid-infrared which is challenging to achieve with solid optical fibers.

High-speed and broad optical bandwidth silicon modulator

A high-speed silicon modulator with broad optical bandwidth is proposed based on a symmetrically configured Mach- Zehnder interferometer. Careful phase bias control and traveling-wave design are used to improve the high-speed perfor- mance. Over a broadband wavelength range, high-speed operation up to 30 Gbit/s with a 4.5 dB-5.5 dB extinction ratio is experimentally demonstrated with a low driving voltage of 3 V.

High-Performance Optical Modulators Based on Potential- Tailored Quantum Wells

The five -layer asymmetric coupled quantum well ( FACQW) , which is one of the potential -tailored quantum wells, is expected to show very large electrorefrac live index cha nge in a wideband transpar ency region far from the absorption edge. Characteristics of the FACQW and its application to compact, ultrafast , low voltage optical modul ators and switches are dis cussed.

General Theoretical Model for Resonantly Enhanced Optical Modulators

1 IntroductionLiNbO3 optical modulators have become essential transmission devices for current and future wideband fibre-optic communications for both military and telecommunications applications. For many telecommunications applications, only a narrow bandwidth is required and thus resonantly enhancedMach-Zehndermodulators(RE-MZMs)have been developed to improve modulation efficiency at the expense of bandwidth.

Low-Driving-Voltage Optical Modulation Utilizing FWM for High-Speed Transmission Systems

We propose an optical transmitter with reduced modulator driving voltage. This reduction is achieved through an on-off ratio improvement technique based on FWM. We confirmed the feasibility of the method in a 43-Gbit/s experiment.

A Novel Technique of Measuring SOA Differential Carrier Lifetime and a -Factor Using SOA Optical Modulation Response

We demonstrate a new technique of measuring differential carrier lifetime and linewidth enhancement factor in a semiconductor optical amplifier. In our method, the optical responses and fiber transfer functions of a self-gain modulated SOA are measured and, from these, values of carrier lifetimes and linewidth enhancement factors are determined for various SOA input optical powers.

Optical QPSK/16QAM modulation based on serial-parallel MZM scheme in radio-over-fiber system

A novel scheme of optical modulation in 40 GHz radio-over fiber （RoF） system is proposed. It generates optical QPSK/16QAM signals in a serial-parallel structure of Mach-Zehnder modulators （MZMs）. The millimeter-wave is obtained with optical frequency multiplication （OFM）. Furthermore, modulation on optical-wave is transferred onto millimeter-wave. It can be used to increase transmission capacity of millimeter-wave RoF systems.

Strip-loaded waveguide-based optical phase shifter for high-efficiency silicon optical modulators

We propose a novel silicon optical phase shifter structure based on heterogeneous strip-loaded waveguides on a photonic silicon on insulator(SOI) platform. The features of an etchless SOI layer and loaded strip would enhance the performance and uniformity of silicon optical modulators on a large-scale wafer. We implemented the phase shifter by loading an amorphous silicon strip onto an SOI layer with a vertical PN diode structure. Compared to the conventional lateral PN phase shifter based on half-etched rib waveguides, this phase shifter shows a >1.5 times enhancement of modulation efficiency and provides >20 GHz high-speed operation.

High speed optical modulation in Ge quantum wells using quantum confined stark effect

We focus on the optimization of SiGe material deposition, the minimization of the parasitic capacitance of the probe pads for high speed, low voltage and high contrast ratio operation. The device fabrication is based on processes for standard Si electronics and is suitable for mass-production. We present observations of quantum confinement and quantum-confined Stark effect （QCSE） electroabsorption in Ge quantum wells （QWs） with SiGe barriers grown on Si substrates. Though Ge is an indirect gap semiconductor, the resulting effects are at least as clear and strong as seen in typical III-V QW structures at similar wavelengths. We also demonstrated a modulator, with eye diagrams of up to 3.5 GHz, a small driving voltage of 2.5 V and a modulation bandwidth at about 10 GHz. Finally, carrier dynamics under ultra-fast laser excitation and high- speed photocurrent response are investigated.