Open AccessCompact dynamic optical isolator based on tandem phase modulators
Author(s) -
Qiang Lin,
Jiahui Wang,
Shanhui Fan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
optics letters/optics index
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.524
H-Index - 272
eISSN - 1071-2763
pISSN - 0146-9592
DOI - 10.1364/ol.44.002240
Subject(s) - optical isolator , modulation (music) , phase modulation , tandem , isolator , optical modulator , materials science , optics , photonics , refractive index , optoelectronics , electronic engineering , optical fiber , phase noise , physics , acoustics , composite material , engineering
Non-magnetic dynamic optical isolators, constructed from modulators, provide a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible approach to optical isolation in integrated photonics. The size of these isolators is strongly constrained by both the frequency and strength of optical modulation. Recent developments in modulators have indicated that large modulation strength, with a magnitude refractive index modulation up to unity, may be possible at gigahertz modulation frequency. In this Letter, we show that a previously proposed dynamic isolator design, based on tandem modulators, can be modified to take advantage of the possibility of such large modulation strength. Compared with the previously proposed tandem modulator design, our modification can lead to significant reduction of the device length without the need to increase modulation frequency.