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On-Chip Nanoscale Plasmonic Optical Modulators

In this thesis work, techniques for downsizing Optical modulators to nanoscale for the purpose of utilization in on chip communication and sensing applications are explored. Nanoscale optical interconnects can solve the electronics speed limiting transmission lines, in addition to decrease the elect...

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Main Author: Abdelhamid, Abdalrahman Mohamed Nader
Format: Thesis
Published: AUC Knowledge Fountain 2021
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access_status_str Open Access
author Abdelhamid, Abdalrahman Mohamed Nader
author_browse Abdelhamid, Abdalrahman Mohamed Nader
author_facet Abdelhamid, Abdalrahman Mohamed Nader
author_sort Abdelhamid, Abdalrahman Mohamed Nader
collection Thesis
description In this thesis work, techniques for downsizing Optical modulators to nanoscale for the purpose of utilization in on chip communication and sensing applications are explored. Nanoscale optical interconnects can solve the electronics speed limiting transmission lines, in addition to decrease the electronic chips heat dissipation. A major obstacle in the path of achieving this goal is to build optical modulators, which transforms data from the electrical form to the optical form, in a size comparable to the size of the electronics components, while also having low insertion loss, high extinction ratio and bandwidth. Also, lap-on-chip applications used for fast diagnostics, and which is based on photonic sensors and photonic circuitry, is in need for similar modulator specifications, while it loosens the spec on the modulator’s size. Silicon photonics is the most convenient photonics technology available for optical interconnects application, owing to its compatibility with the mature and cheap CMOS manufacturing process. Hence, building modulators which is exclusively compatible with this technology is a must, although, Plasmonics could be the right technology for downsizing the optical components, owing to its capability in squeezing light in subwavelength dimensions. Hence, our major goal is to build plasmonic modulators, that can be coupled directly to silicon waveguides. A Plasmonic Mach-Zehnder modulator was built, based on the orthogonal junction coupling technique. The footprint of the modulator is decreased to 0.6 4.7, extinction ratio of 15.8 dB and insertion loss of 3.38 dB at 10 volts was achieved in the 3D simulations. The voltage length product for the modulator is 47 V. The orthogonal junction coupler technique minimized the modulator’s footprint. On the other hand, photonic sensors favorably work in the mid-infrared region, owing to the presence of a lot of molecules absorption peaks in this region. Hence, III-V semiconductor media is used for this type of applications, owing to the availability of laser sources built of III-V media, and to the lower losses that these materials have in mid-infrared region. Hybrid plasmonic waveguide, formed of doped InAs, AlAs and GaAs is studied extensively. Based on this waveguide an electro-absorption modulator is built. The device showed an extinction ratio of 27 dB at 40 length, and 1.2 dB of insertion loss. The small device footprint predicts a much lower energy consumption.
format Thesis
id oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-2609
institution American University in Cairo (Egypt)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:35:50.652Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress
publishDate 2021
publishDateRange 2021
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spelling oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-2609 On-Chip Nanoscale Plasmonic Optical Modulators Abdelhamid, Abdalrahman Mohamed Nader In this thesis work, techniques for downsizing Optical modulators to nanoscale for the purpose of utilization in on chip communication and sensing applications are explored. Nanoscale optical interconnects can solve the electronics speed limiting transmission lines, in addition to decrease the electronic chips heat dissipation. A major obstacle in the path of achieving this goal is to build optical modulators, which transforms data from the electrical form to the optical form, in a size comparable to the size of the electronics components, while also having low insertion loss, high extinction ratio and bandwidth. Also, lap-on-chip applications used for fast diagnostics, and which is based on photonic sensors and photonic circuitry, is in need for similar modulator specifications, while it loosens the spec on the modulator’s size. Silicon photonics is the most convenient photonics technology available for optical interconnects application, owing to its compatibility with the mature and cheap CMOS manufacturing process. Hence, building modulators which is exclusively compatible with this technology is a must, although, Plasmonics could be the right technology for downsizing the optical components, owing to its capability in squeezing light in subwavelength dimensions. Hence, our major goal is to build plasmonic modulators, that can be coupled directly to silicon waveguides. A Plasmonic Mach-Zehnder modulator was built, based on the orthogonal junction coupling technique. The footprint of the modulator is decreased to 0.6 4.7, extinction ratio of 15.8 dB and insertion loss of 3.38 dB at 10 volts was achieved in the 3D simulations. The voltage length product for the modulator is 47 V. The orthogonal junction coupler technique minimized the modulator’s footprint. On the other hand, photonic sensors favorably work in the mid-infrared region, owing to the presence of a lot of molecules absorption peaks in this region. Hence, III-V semiconductor media is used for this type of applications, owing to the availability of laser sources built of III-V media, and to the lower losses that these materials have in mid-infrared region. Hybrid plasmonic waveguide, formed of doped InAs, AlAs and GaAs is studied extensively. Based on this waveguide an electro-absorption modulator is built. The device showed an extinction ratio of 27 dB at 40 length, and 1.2 dB of insertion loss. The small device footprint predicts a much lower energy consumption. 2021-06-15T07:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/1602 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/2609/viewcontent/Abdalrahman_MohamedNader_Abdelhamid_thesis.pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/2609/filename/2/type/additional/viewcontent/Abdalrahman_MohamedNader_Abdelhamid_signature.pdf Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain negative dispersion mid infrared hybrid plasmonic waveguide plasmonics dispersion curve engineering Integrated Optics Electro-Optical Modulators electroabsorption modulator Electrical and Computer Engineering Electrical and Electronics Electromagnetics and Photonics Electronic Devices and Semiconductor Manufacturing Optics
spellingShingle negative dispersion
mid infrared
hybrid plasmonic waveguide
plasmonics
dispersion curve engineering
Integrated Optics
Electro-Optical Modulators
electroabsorption modulator
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electrical and Electronics
Electromagnetics and Photonics
Electronic Devices and Semiconductor Manufacturing
Optics
Abdelhamid, Abdalrahman Mohamed Nader
On-Chip Nanoscale Plasmonic Optical Modulators
title On-Chip Nanoscale Plasmonic Optical Modulators
title_full On-Chip Nanoscale Plasmonic Optical Modulators
title_fullStr On-Chip Nanoscale Plasmonic Optical Modulators
title_full_unstemmed On-Chip Nanoscale Plasmonic Optical Modulators
title_short On-Chip Nanoscale Plasmonic Optical Modulators
title_sort on chip nanoscale plasmonic optical modulators
topic negative dispersion
mid infrared
hybrid plasmonic waveguide
plasmonics
dispersion curve engineering
Integrated Optics
Electro-Optical Modulators
electroabsorption modulator
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electrical and Electronics
Electromagnetics and Photonics
Electronic Devices and Semiconductor Manufacturing
Optics
url https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/1602
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/2609/viewcontent/Abdalrahman_MohamedNader_Abdelhamid_thesis.pdf
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/2609/filename/2/type/additional/viewcontent/Abdalrahman_MohamedNader_Abdelhamid_signature.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT abdelhamidabdalrahmanmohamednader onchipnanoscaleplasmonicopticalmodulators