Low-Voltage, Compact, Depletion-Mode, Silicon

Through rigorous process, electrical, and optical sim- ulations, we develop a new silicon depletion-mode vertical p-n junction phase-modulator implemented in Mach-Zehnder mod- ulator configuration, enabling an ultralow measured Vπ L of only ∼ 1V ·cm. Further, in a 500-µm-long lumped element device, we demonstrate a 10-Gb/s nonreturn-to-zero data transmission with wide-open complementary output eye diagrams without the use of signal preemphasis. Index Terms—Diodes, optical modulation, silicon.