PhD. of Tom Vanackere

Author: Tom Vanackere Promotors: Bart Kuyken and Stephane Clemmen Dutch Title: Elektro-optische hogesnelheidsmodulatie op siliciumfotonica via de heterogene integratie van lithiumniobaat en lithiumtantalaat gebruikmakend van micro-transfer-printen English Title: High-Speed Electro-Optical Modulation on Silicon Photonics through the Heterogeneous Integration of Lithium Niobate and Lithium Tantalate Using Micro-Transfer Printing Date: 10/9/2026 Main Language: English ISBN number: 978-94-93570-07-8 Thesis: (122.2MB)

Abstract

This PhD thesis investigates the modeling, fabrication, and measurement of high-speed lithium niobate and lithium tantalate modulators heterogeneously integrated on silicon and silicon nitride integrated platforms. These modulators utilize an electro-optic effect to convert electrical signals into optical signals for transmitting information. Three consecutive iterations advance the technology from an initial proof of concept in the first attempt, through a promising demonstration of speed in the second iteration, to a first step toward scalability in the third and final demonstration. The research includes detailed modeling and simulation results of both the optical and electrical fields in the modulators, as well as all other components of the optical circuits, such as grating couplers and taper transitions. The tested devices achieve performance similar to competing technologies based on less scalable fabrication methods. These devices are receiving significant attention from companies working on the next generation of optical methods for telecommunications and data center optimization.

Related Research Topics

• photonic-electronic integrated circuits for optical transceivers
• Low power modulators for silicon optical interconnect
• Silicon integration with perovskites for electro-optical modulators
• Chi(2) nonlinear optics in silicon-based waveguide circuits