80-micron Interaction Length Silicon Nano-Photonic Crystal Waveguide Modulator

An ultra-compact silicon electro-optic modulator is experimentally demonstrated based on silicon photonic crystal (PhC) waveguides for the first time to our knowledge. Modulation operation was demonstrated by carrier injection into an 80 μm-long silicon PhC waveguide of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) structure. The modulation depth operating at 1567 nm is 92%. The phase shift driving current, I, across the active region is as low as 0.15 mA, which is equivalent to a V of 7.5 mV when a 50 impedance-mate structure is applied.