Abstract
In this work, electro-optic modulators based on epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials are proposed, in which transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are used as the ENZ materials. When a thin ENZ film is sandwiched in a single mode waveguide, an ENZ waveguide is formed and the absorption can be significantly enhanced. TCOs may be employed as the active slot material, since the dielectric constants of TCOs can be tuned between epsilon-near-zero (high absorption) and epsilon-far-from-zero (low absorption) when a suitable voltage is applied. Numerical simulations show that over 3-dB modulation depth can be achieved in a 250-nm long TCO-slot waveguide. The modulators have the advantages of nanoscale dimensions, small insertion loss, and easy fabrication.
© 2012 Optical Society of America
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