Thermally stabilised resonant electro-optic modulator and use thereof

A method for providing a binary modulated light signal having a wavelength, the binary modulated optical signal comprising a plurality of 1-bits and a plurality of 0-bits the method, comprising

• providing a thermally stabilised resonant electro-optic modulator comprising
• a resonant electro-optic modulator unit, the resonant electro-optic modulator unit comprising a first ring-shaped waveguide and a second longitudinal waveguide adjacent to the first waveguide,
• a voltage unit configured to apply a first voltage or a second voltage over the first ring-shaped waveguide, the first and the second waveguides being arranged such that light with the wavelength transmitted through the second waveguide is differently attenuated by resonance in the first waveguide by application of either the first or the second voltage allowing a substantially higher throughput of light with the wavelength through the second waveguide along the first waveguide at the first voltage than at the second voltage, the first voltage corresponding to one of a 0-bit or a 1-bit of the modulated optical signal, the second voltage corresponding to the other of a 0-bit or a 1-bit of the modulated optical signal,
• a light sensor configured to determine the intensity of the light transmitted through the second waveguide after having passed along the first waveguide,
• a thermal stabilisation unit configured to adjust the temperature of the first waveguide, and
• a temperature control unit configured to control the thermal stabilisation unit in response to a signal representing the intensity measured by the light sensor,
• transmitting light having one the wavelength through the second waveguide along the first waveguide;
• applying a sequence of first and second voltages over the first ring-shaped waveguide, thereby attenuating the light transmitted through the second waveguide in correspondence with the applied first and/or the second voltages;
• determining, using the light sensor, the intensity of the light transmitted through the second waveguide after having passed along the first waveguide;
• providing to the temperature control unit a first signal from the light sensor corresponding to a first intensity of the light transmitted through the second waveguide after having passed along the first waveguide, determined when the voltage unit applies the first voltage, the first signal being provided as a function of time during which the first voltage is applied;
• separately providing to the temperature control unit a second signal from the light sensor corresponding to a second intensity of the light transmitted through the second waveguide after having passed along the first waveguide, determined when the voltage unit applies the second voltage being provided as a function of time during which the first voltage is applied;
• and
• controlling the thermal stabilisation unit with the temperature control unit, in response to separate changes in the first signal as a function of time and the second signal as a function of time.