Design of high-bandwidth, low-voltage and low-loss hybrid lithium niobate electro-optic modulators

Abstract The past decade has seen significant growth in the field of thin film lithium niobate electro-optic modulators, which promise reduced voltage requirements and higher modulation bandwidths on a potentially integrated platform. This article discusses the state-of-the-art in thin film modulator technology and presents a simplified simulation technique for quickly optimizing a hybrid silicon- or silicon nitride-lithium niobate modulator. Also discussed are the feasibility of creating a 1 V half-wave voltage, 100 GHz bandwidth modulator, and the design specifications for a single hybrid silicon-lithium niobate platform optimized to operate across all telecommunication bands (between 1260 and 1675 nm wavelengths).