Abstract

In coherent optical transmission, traveling-wave Mach–Zehnder modulators are commonly used to generate various advanced formats where the modulators are biased at the minimum transmission point. Here, we report that an optical isolation effect with lower backward transmission occurs under this condition. This concept is successfully demonstrated to achieve $\sim 7\mathrm{dB}$ isolation over a 90-nm wavelength span under binary phase-shift keying modulation using a commercial lithium niobate modulator.

© 2016 Optical Society of America

Silicon traveling-wave Mach–Zehnder modulator under distributed-bias driving

Guangwei Cong, Morifumi Ohno, Yuriko Maegami, Makoto Okano, and Koji Yamada
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Experimental demonstration of phase-sensitive regeneration of a binary phase-shift keying channel without a phase-locked loop using Brillouin amplification

Ahmed Almaiman, Yinwen Cao, Morteza Ziyadi, Amirhossein Mohajerin-Ariaei, Peicheng Liao, Changjing Bao, Fatemeh Alishahi, Ahmad Fallahpour, Bishara Shamee, Nisar Ahmed, Asher J. Willner, Youichi Akasaka, Tadashi Ikeuchi, Shigehiro Takasaka, Ryuichi Sugizaki, Steven Wilkinson, Joseph D. Touch, Moshe Tur, and Alan E. Willner
Opt. Lett. 41(23) 5434-5437 (2016)

Travelling-wave Mach-Zehnder modulators functioning as optical isolators

Po Dong
Opt. Express 23(8) 10498-10505 (2015)

Coplanar-waveguide-based silicon Mach–Zehnder modulator using a meandering optical waveguide and alternating-side PN junction loading

Po Dong, Jeffrey H. Sinsky, and Chengcheng Gui
Opt. Lett. 41(18) 4401-4404 (2016)

Magnetoplasmonic isolators utilizing the nonreciprocal phase shift

C. J. Firby and A. Y. Elezzabi
Opt. Lett. 41(3) 563-566 (2016)