To effectively decrease power consumption one could reduce the electrical capacitance by shrinking the device size In 2022 Heidari et al 52 demonstrated an ultra-low power graphene-based optical modul

An effective strategy for reducing power consumption is to decrease the electrical capacitance by scaling down the device dimensions. In 2022, Heidari and colleagues demonstrated an ultra-low power graphene-based optical modulator using a Bragg reflector waveguide. The device comprised a Bragg reflector waveguide laterally merged with a silicon waveguide, thereby forming slow light through the distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) structure, and significantly enhancing the light-matter interaction within a waveguide measuring 10 μm in length. Additionally, the capacitance was reduced to 27 fF. The demonstration revealed a 3-dB bandwidth of 60 GHz, with a power consumption of merely 2.25 fJ bit−1. Such a modulator holds significant promise for ultra-dense on-chip optical communication applications