Tailored nanostructures and thin-film-processing for temperature stable organic silicon-hybrid-modulators

商用光传输系统在单个波长上实现了100 Gb/S的数据速率。未来通信系统的目标是超过1 TB/S，以满足全球通信数据速率不断提高的需求。在文献和申请者自己的前期工作中，硅光子学与有机电光材料的结合提供了有希望的结果，例如，电光带宽超过100 GHz。在这个方案中，应该使用所提到的有机硅混合调制器概念来研究和关联纳米结构调制器和电光活性有机薄膜的性质。这个跨学科的项目将合成和胶片处理(Ludwigs，IPOC)的专业知识与调制器设计和测量技术(Berroth，INT)的专业知识结合在一起。为了在集成光子学领域中的应用，研究和制备具有更高稳定性的定制电光有源膜是主要的问题。研究并实现了一种温度稳定的调制器，其光纤损耗小于4分贝，带宽大于100 GHz，消光比大于20分贝。我们将评估双模干涉仪、等离子体波导管的实现，以及借助一种特殊的使用溶剂蒸汽的退火法实现发色团排列的工艺优化。除了合成具有高吸电子性能的含受体基团的新型发色体外，还计划通过原位交联反应来改善其温度性能。由于相关研究所的合作，可以在斯图加特进行调查、制造和优化。

Commercial optical transmission systems achieve data rates of 100 Gb/s on a single wave length. Future systems in communications are targeting for more than 1 Tb/s to meet the worldwide needs of increasing data rates in communications. In literature and in the appli-cants’ own preliminary work, the combination of silicon photonics with organic electro-optical materials offers promising results, e.g. with electro-optical bandwidths better than 100 GHz. In this proposal, the properties of nanostructured modulators and electro-optical active organic films should be investigated and correlated using the mentioned organic silicon-hybrid-modulator concept. The strongly interdisciplinary project combines the expertise of synthesis and film processing (Ludwigs, IPOC) with the expertise of modulator design and measure-ment technology (Berroth, INT). The investigation and fabrication of tailored electro-optical active films with enhanced stability for the application in the field of integrated photonics are main issues. A temperature-stable modulator should be investigated and realized with a fiber-to-fiber loss smaller than 4 dB, achieving bandwidths larger than 100 GHz and extinction ratios of more than 20 dB. The implementation of dual-mode interferometers, plasmonic waveguides and the process optimization of the chromophore alignment with the help of a special annealing-method using solvent vapor will be evaluated. Besides the synthesis of novel chromphores including acceptor-groups with high electron-withdrawing properties, the improvement of the temperature properties with the help of in-situ cross-linking reactions is scheduled. Due to the cooperation of the involved institutes, the investigation, fabrication and optimization can be done in Stuttgart.