Modeling TID Effects in Mach-Zehnder Interferometer Silicon Modulator for HL-LHC Data Transmission Applications

High-speed Mach-Zehnder interferometer silicon modulators were exposed to a total ionizing dose of 1.3 MGy, levels comparable to the worst radiation levels for a tracking detector after 10 years of operation at the High-Luminosity LHC, show a sensitivity to ionizing radiation after exposure to a dose of a few hundred kGy. A physical model to describe the effect of ionizing radiation on the modulators has been developed and is used to predict whether a more radiation-hard modulator can be designed to survive the harshest radiation environments expected at the HL-LHC.