Compact modulators on silicon nitride waveguide platform via micro-transfer printing of thin-film lithium niobate
We explore the use of micro-transfer printing (µTP) technology to integrate thin lithium niobate (LN) films onto silicon nitride (SiN) waveguides, facilitating the development of compact electro-optical modulators. Three modulator architectures are investigated: Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI), Fabry-Perot (FP) resonator, and side-coupled FP resonators. By acting as a photonic molecule, the proposed coupled FP resonators enable improved spectral engineering with new functionalities while maximizing the transmission and quality-factor (Q-factor) of the resonances. Design, simulations, fabrication method, and experimental results are presented, demonstrating the potential of µTP in advancing electro-optical modulators. The half-wave voltage-length product (V<sub>π</sub>L) of the fabricated devices decreases as the Q-factor increases achieving V<sub>π</sub>L = 10.5, 4.3, and 2.74 V.cm for MZI, FP, and photonic molecule modulators, respectively.
Authors
- Samir Ghosh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1540-0034)
- S. Hadi Badri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2295-6276)
- Liam O’Faoláin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1160-7441)
- Maria V. Kotlyar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6328-7171)
- Owen Moynihan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3345-7085)
- Yeasir Arafat (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4154-5501)
- Risov Das
- Brian Corbett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9002-8212)
Institutions
- Munster Technological University (IE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2025-04-05
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95397-w
- Citations
- 11
- Primary Topic
- Photonic and Optical Devices
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.03
Funders
- European Commission
- Science Foundation Ireland
- HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions