Integrated Electro-Optic Frequency Combs: Physical Mechanisms, Device Architectures, Material Platforms and System Applications

Electro-optic frequency combs (EOFCs), generated through the microwave-driven modulation of continuous-wave lasers, have emerged as a highly reconfigurable and system-compatible class of optical frequency combs with growing importance in microwave photonics, coherent communications, spectroscopy, and precision metrology. In contrast to mode-locked lasers and Kerr microresonator combs, EOFCs offer electrically programmable repetition rates, deterministic phase coherence, and intrinsic compatibility with radiofrequency electronic systems, making them particularly attractive for integrated and application-oriented implementations. As EOFCs evolve toward broader bandwidths, lower power consumption, and full on-chip integration, their achievable performance is increasingly constrained by the interplay between electro-optic physical mechanisms, modulator architectures, and material platform properties. This review establishes a unified analytical framework that systematically connects EOFC generation mechanisms, device configurations, key performance metrics, and platform-level limitations. We first summarize the fundamental electro-optic effects underpinning EOFC generation and analytically examine representative modulator architectures, including phase modulators, Mach–Zehnder modulators, and microresonator-based schemes, to clarify their respective comb-generation characteristics. Key performance determinants, such as modulation depth, bandwidth, electro-optic efficiency, and optical loss, are then discussed to elucidate their coupled influence on comb-line count, spectral flatness, output power, and phase noise. Subsequently, the performance of EOFCs implemented on major integrated platforms, including Silicon on Insulator (SOI), Indium Phosphide on Insulator (InPOI), Lithium Niobate on Insulator (LNOI), and Lithium Tantalate on Insulator (LTOI), is comparatively reviewed to highlight the material-dependent advantages and constraints. Finally, emerging directions based on heterogeneous integration and ferroelectric materials with ultrahigh electro-optic coefficients are discussed as promising pathways to overcome the current performance bottlenecks. This review provides clear physical insights and engineering guidance for the future development of high-performance, integrated EOFC systems.