Transverse-magnetic polarization silicon-photonic modulator

A silicon-photonic optical modulator comprising:

• at least one optical input;
• a Mach-Zehnder interferometer comprising at least one optical waveguide configured to receive light from the at least one optical input, wherein each of the at least one optical waveguide is configured as a rib waveguide that comprises a rib arranged on a slab;
• at least one electrode configured to apply at least one electric field to the light in the at least one optical waveguide,
• wherein the at least one optical waveguide comprises:
• (i) a first optical waveguide comprising a first semiconductor junction diode, and (ii) a second optical waveguide comprising a second semiconductor junction diode;
• and
• a semiconductor region that electrically connects the first semiconductor junction diode with the second semiconductor junction diode,
• wherein a height of the rib waveguide is greater than 0.85λ/n, where λ is a free-space wavelength of light and n is a refractive index of silicon in the silicon-photonic optical modulator, and
• wherein a width of the rib waveguide is greater than a thickness of the slab.

A method of modulating quasi-transverse-magnetic (TM) polarized light, the method comprising:

• splitting quasi-TM polarized light and inputting the split quasi-TM polarized light into a first optical waveguide and a second optical waveguide;
• modulating a phase difference between quasi-TM polarized light in the first optical waveguide and quasi-TM polarized light in the second optical waveguide, by applying at least one electric field to quasi-TM polarized light in at least one of the first optical waveguide or the second optical waveguide, without applying a bias voltage through an impedance that is less than 100 ohm between the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide;
• and
• combining quasi-TM polarized light that is output from the first optical waveguide and quasi-TM polarized light that is output from the second optical waveguide.