Abstract

Here, a high-linearity dual-drive scheme using a single silicon dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator is presented. The bias voltages and RF amplitudes of the two driving arms are adjusted such that the nonlinearity of the transfer function of the Mach–Zehnder interferometer cancels out the nonlinear response of the arms. Using the proposed scheme, the spurious-free dynamic range of the third-order intermodulation distortion is 123.4 dB Hz^6/7, which is believed to be a record-breaking value for silicon modulators. In comparison, the result obtained using a conventional single-drive scheme is 102.6 dB·Hz^2/3. The proposed scheme could simplify the design of modulators and promote high-performance microwave photonic links.

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