Abstract

High-speed guided-wave devices are important for fiber-optic systems and high-speed signal processing applications. These devices are considerably more compact and require lower drive power than bulk electro-optic devices. Over the past several years, a number of high-speed guided-wave modulators and switches have been demonstrated.^1-10 Table 1 lists a few of these devices which operate at multi-gigahertz frequencies. The widest bandwidth modulator is 17 GHz³ and the lowest switching voltage is 2V.⁴ In this paper, we will review design considerations and trade-offs for fabricating high-speed modulators.

© 1987 Optical Society of America