Plasmonic Modulator Based on Graphene and Dual Back-to-Back U-Shaped Silicon Waveguide for Optical Communication Networks

Abstract

Abstract A broadband plasmonic optical modulator based on a dual back-to-back U-shaped silicon waveguide and double layers of graphene has been investigated. The proposed structure is designed at TE mode over a range of wavelengths extending from 1.1 to 1.9 μm . By adjusting the geometry of the U-shaped structure, the modulator’s performance has been tuned. Utilizing propagation loss, bandwidth, power consumption, and modulation depth, the proposed modulator’s performance has been characterized. According to the results, at a wavelength of 1.55 μm, the loss, modulation depth, and small footprint read 0.0415 dB/μm, 0.6337 dB/μm, and (0.5 μm × 12.17 μm), respectively. Furthermore, the proposed modulator has a modulation bandwidth of about 151.7 GHz and a power consumption of 21.068 fJ/bit.