Fast electro-optics effect in strained silicon waveguide (Conference Presentation)

Silicon photonics is being considered as the future photonic platform for low power consumption optical communications. However, Silicon is a centrosymmetric semiconductor, which cannot exhibit any second order optical nonlinearities, like second harmonic generation nor the linear electro-optic effect (i.e. Pockels effect). Nonetheless, by means of strain gradients, generated by depositing a stressed layer (typically SiN) on silicon waveguides, this restriction vanishe. Hence, for years, many attempts on characterizing the second order nonlinear susceptibility tensor through Pockels effect have been performed. However, due to the semiconductor nature of silicon, its analysis has been wrongly carried out. Indeed, carriers in Si, at the Si/SiN interface and in SiN have a screening effect when performing electro-optic modulation, which have led to overestimations of the second order nonlinear susceptibility and eventually rose a controversy on the real existence of Pockels effect in strained silicon waveguides. Here, we report on unambiguous experimental characterization of Pockels effect in the microwave domain, by taking advantage of the inherent limitation of carrier effect in high frequency range. Recent results on high-speed measurements will be presented and discussed. Both charge effects and Pockels effect induced under an electric field will be also analysed.