Extremely high extinction ratio electro-optic modulator via frequency upconversion to visible wavelengths

Abstract

Intensity modulators are fundamental components for integrated photonics. From near-infrared (NIR) to visible spectral ranges, they find applications in optical communication and quantum technologies. In particular, they are required for the control and manipulation of atomic systems such as atomic clocks and quantum computers. Typical integrated electro-optic modulators operating at these wavelengths show high bandwidth and low-voltage operation, but their extinction ratios are moderate. Here we present an integrated thin-film lithium niobate electro-optic (EO) modulator operating in the C-band, which uses a subsequent periodically poled waveguide to convert the modulated signal from 1536 to 768 nm using the second-harmonic (SH) generation. We demonstrate that the upconverted signal retains the characteristics of the modulated input signal, reaching a measured high bandwidth of 35 GHz. Due to the nature of the nonlinear process, it exhibits, with respect to the fundamental signal, a doubled extinction ratio of 46 dB, which is the highest, to the best of our knowledge, recorded for near-infrared light on this platform.