Abstract

The operating speed of optical modulators has reached the millimeter wavelength region.^1-4 A Ti:LiNbO₃ optical modulator with a traveling-wave electrode is one of the most promising devices because of its very low frequency chirp and wavelength independence. To operate the modulator at such high frequency, velocity matching between the electrical and optical wave is a basic requirement. This paper describes newly designed ridged Ti:LiNbO₃ optical modulators that utilize thin (0.6 µm) SiO₂ buffer layers and thick (29 µm) coplanar waveguide (CPW) electrodes to obtain both low drive voltage and low conductor loss under the velocity matching condition.

© 1996 Optical Society of America