2026/07/28 by Dewei Zhang, Yuzhi Liu, Mengqi Li +13
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies #Photonic and Optical Devices #Photorefractive and Nonlinear Optics
paper · doi:10.1088/0256-307x/43/8/080403
openalex publication_date 2026/07/28 · openalex created_date 2026/07/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Abstract High-performance O-band electro-optic modulators are indispensable for numerous advanced photonic applications. Nevertheless, the simultaneous realization of low insertion loss, low half-wave voltage, and low-cost fabrication in lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) devices remains a formidable challenge. In this study, an O-band LNOI electro-optic modulator is developed based on the femtosecond laser photolithography assisted chemo-mechanical etching (PLACE) technique. Numerical simulations are carried out to optimize the structural parameters of multimode interferometers (MMIs), spot size converters (SSCs), and electrodes. At the wavelength of 1310 nm, the fabricated device exhibits an ultralow chip-level fiber to fiber insertion loss of 2.2 dB (unpackaged) and 4.6 dB (packaged), an ultralow half-wave voltage-length product (V π ·L) of 1.54 V·cm, an extinction ratio (ER) of 23 dB, and a 3 dB electro-optic bandwidth (S 21 ) beyond 40 GHz. Leveraging the low-cost PLACE fabrication strategy, the proposed device integrates the merits of ultra-low optical loss, high modulation efficiency, and broad operation bandwidth with reliable packaging compatibility. This work provides a feasible pathway for the practical deployment of O-band integrated photonic chips.