Silicon Photonic Modulator Based on a MOS-Capacitor and a CMOS Driver

We describe a silicon photonic optical modulator based on a MOS-capacitor and a low power 1V CMOS inverter-based driver IC. In an MZI configuration, this efficient modulator and driver IC combination can produce a 9dB extinction ratio at 28 Gbps, at a wavelength of 1310nm.