Effect of Ring Resonator Waveguide Loss on SFDR Performance of Highly Linear Optical Modulators Under Suboctave Operation

• Published in: IEEE photonics technology letters 2010-09, Vol.22 (17), p.1297-1299
• Main Authors: Prescod, A, Dingel, B B, Madamopoulos, N, Madabhushi, R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analog fiber-optic links; Conferences; Fiber optics; interferometric modulator with phase-modulating and cavity-modulating components (IMPACC); linear optical modulator; microwave photonics; Modulators; Noise levels; Optical devices; Optical fibers; Optical interferometry; Optical losses; Optical modulation; Optical resonators; Optical ring resonators; Optical waveguide components; Optical waveguides; Performance loss; Phase modulation; radio-frequency (RF) photonics; resonator-assisted Mach-Zehnder interferometer (RAMZI); Resonators; ring resonator assisted Mach-Zehnder modulator (RR MZM); Tolerances; Waveguides
• ISSN: 1041-1135; 1941-0174
• DOI: 10.1109/LPT.2010.2053842

We investigate the effect of ring resonator (RR) waveguide loss on the spurious-free-dynamic-range (SFDR) performance of two types of highly linear, resonator-enhanced optical modulators, namely, 1) the Resonator-Assisted Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (RAMZI) modulator, and 2) the Interferometric Modulator with Phase-modulating And Cavity-modulating Components (IMPACC). We show that the respective SFDR values of both traveling-wave RAMZI and traveling-wave IMPACC degrade by as much as 20 dB from their peak values when the RR waveguide loss increases by 20%. However, unlike RAMZI, the IMPACC design allows for SFDR compensation (from 114 to 132 dB) by simply adjusting one of its externally accessible parameter controls-the radio-frequency power split ratio, under suboctave operation. This unique feature of IMPACC provides optimum performance, adds greater design flexibility, and increases manufacturing tolerance.