Integrated thin film lithium niobate mid-infrared modulator
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866909631604850688 |
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| author | Didier, Pierre Jain, Prakhar Bertrand, Mathieu Kellner, Jost Pitz, Oliver Dai, Zhecheng Beck, Mattias Chen, Baile Faist, Jérôme Grange, Rachel |
| author_facet | Didier, Pierre Jain, Prakhar Bertrand, Mathieu Kellner, Jost Pitz, Oliver Dai, Zhecheng Beck, Mattias Chen, Baile Faist, Jérôme Grange, Rachel |
| contents | The mid-infrared spectral range holds great promise for applications such as molecular spectroscopy and telecommunications. Many key molecules exhibit strong absorption features in this range, and free-space optical communication benefits from reduced atmospheric attenuation and low transmission losses in specific wavelength bands spanning from 3 to 14 $μm$. Recent progress in MIR photonics has been fuelled by the rapid development of efficient light sources and detectors. However, further advancement is hindered by the lack of low-loss, high-performance integrated photonic platforms and modulators. Lithium niobate on sapphire is a promising candidate, operating across a broad spectral range from 0.4 $μm$ to 4.5 $μm$. We demonstrate a broadband, high-speed lithium niobate on sapphire Mach-Zehnder electro-optic modulator operating from 3.95 to 4.3 $μm$. The device achieves a 3 dB bandwidth exceeding 20 GHz, an extinction ratio of 34 dB, and a half-wave voltage of 22 V$\cdot$cm, delivering optical output power at the half-milliwatt level. These properties are leveraged to demonstrate data transmission at 10 Gbit/s. The modulator is also used to generate a frequency comb with a width of 80 GHz. Furthermore, we demonstrate full $π$-phase modulation in the MIR, representing a key milestone for integrated MIR photonics. These results establish a pathway toward high-speed, energy-efficient MIR photonic systems for applications in telecommunications, sensing, and quantum technologies. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_23632 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Integrated thin film lithium niobate mid-infrared modulator Didier, Pierre Jain, Prakhar Bertrand, Mathieu Kellner, Jost Pitz, Oliver Dai, Zhecheng Beck, Mattias Chen, Baile Faist, Jérôme Grange, Rachel Optics Applied Physics The mid-infrared spectral range holds great promise for applications such as molecular spectroscopy and telecommunications. Many key molecules exhibit strong absorption features in this range, and free-space optical communication benefits from reduced atmospheric attenuation and low transmission losses in specific wavelength bands spanning from 3 to 14 $μm$. Recent progress in MIR photonics has been fuelled by the rapid development of efficient light sources and detectors. However, further advancement is hindered by the lack of low-loss, high-performance integrated photonic platforms and modulators. Lithium niobate on sapphire is a promising candidate, operating across a broad spectral range from 0.4 $μm$ to 4.5 $μm$. We demonstrate a broadband, high-speed lithium niobate on sapphire Mach-Zehnder electro-optic modulator operating from 3.95 to 4.3 $μm$. The device achieves a 3 dB bandwidth exceeding 20 GHz, an extinction ratio of 34 dB, and a half-wave voltage of 22 V$\cdot$cm, delivering optical output power at the half-milliwatt level. These properties are leveraged to demonstrate data transmission at 10 Gbit/s. The modulator is also used to generate a frequency comb with a width of 80 GHz. Furthermore, we demonstrate full $π$-phase modulation in the MIR, representing a key milestone for integrated MIR photonics. These results establish a pathway toward high-speed, energy-efficient MIR photonic systems for applications in telecommunications, sensing, and quantum technologies. |
| title | Integrated thin film lithium niobate mid-infrared modulator |
| topic | Optics Applied Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.23632 |