Integrated optical pattern generation on thin-film lithium niobate with electro-optic modulators and phase-change material cells

Journal article

Reconfigurable photonic integrated circuits enable high-bandwidth signal shaping with the prospect for scalability and compact footprint. Co-integration of electro-optical tunability with non-volatile attenuation through functional materials allows for implementing photonic devices which operate both on phase and amplitude. Based on this approach, we propose an integrated photonic design for optical pattern generation deploying a continuous-wave laser and a single electrical function generator. We employ the non-volatile and reconfigurable phase-change material Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST) as a tunable attenuator for an integrated photonic circuit on the Lithium-Niobate-On-Insulator (LNOI) platform. The GST can be switched between its amorphous and crystalline phase, leading to an optical contrast of ≅18 dB. Combining this with integrated electro-optical modulators with a 4 GHz bandwidth in LNOI, enables the generation of short optical pulses, based on the principles of inverse discrete Fourier transform.

Authors: Bente, I; Brückerhoff-Plückelmann, F; Bankwitz, JR; Wendland, D; Lomonte, E

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Optica Publishing Group
• Journal: Journal of the Optical Society of America B
• Volume: 40
• Issue: 5
• Pages: D78-D83
• Publication date: 2023-05-01
• Acceptance date: 2023-04-22
• DOI: 10.1364/josab.485957
• EISSN: 1520-8540
• ISSN: 0740-3224
• Language: English