Cascaded uncoupled dual-ring modulator

Opt Lett. 2014 Aug 15;39(16):4974-7. doi: 10.1364/OL.39.004974.

Abstract

We demonstrate, by coherent driving two uncoupled rings in same direction, that the effective photon circulating time in the dual-ring modulator is reduced, with increased modulation quality. The inter-ring detuning-dependent photon dynamics, Q factor, extinction ratio, and optical modulation amplitude of two cascaded silicon ring resonators are studied and compared with that of a single-ring modulator. Experimentally measured eye diagrams, together with coupled mode theory simulations, demonstrate the enhancement of the dual-ring configuration at 20 Gbps with a Q∼20,000.