Ultra-Low Power Graphene-Based Optical Modulator for Ultra-Dense On-Chip Communication

An effective strategy for reducing power consumption in optical devices 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 utilizing 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. This design effectively reduced the capacitance to 27 fF. Experimental results revealed a 3-dB bandwidth of 60 GHz, with a power consumption of merely 2.25 fJ/bit. This modulator holds significant promise for ultra-dense on-chip optical communication applications, offering both high bandwidth and low energy consumption.