Numerical Analysis of A Silicon-Based Electro-Optic Modulator

A phase shift electro-optic semiconductor structure that features a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) is numerically analyzed. The interferometer structure considers a highly-doped Si-based waveguide that can control the phase shift by varying the refractive index through the carrier concentration while applying a control voltage. To analyze the structure, Kramers-Kronig dispersion relations, the effective index method and the Drude model are implemented within a finite element software. As a result, for an optical waveguide structure with a 9 mm length and 10 V, it is possible to obtain a phase shift by that allows, at the output of the MZI, total interference that is required to modulate an optical communication link.