Ultra-sensitive all-optical phase modulation based on a fiber optic interferometer combined with Ti3C2Tx MXene-incorporated PDMS

This study proposes an all-optical phase modulator based on a compact fiber optic interferometer combined with Ti3C2Tx MXene-incorporated PDMS. Due to the high photothermal conversion efficiency of MXene and the high thermo-optic coefficient of PDMS, changes in pump power can be effectively converted into refractive index (RI) variations in the PDMS. Then, by employing a fiber optic interferometer with a high RI response, ultra-sensitive all-optical phase modulation can be realized. The experimental results demonstrate that the resonant wavelength shift of the modulator with MXene-incorporated PDMS is 126 times higher than that of a modulator with single MXene deposition. Also, a maximum wavelength sensitivity of 14.57 nm/mW is achieved (equivalent to a phase sensitivity of 0.33π/mW); this excellent modulation performance is a great improvement on that of a previously reported fiber-based all-optical phase modulator. Furthermore, PDMS is also employed as a packaging layer to strengthen the device structure and restrict the heat in an enclosed space, which improves the heat utilization efficiency. The proposed device shows great potential in optical communication, optical filtering, sensing, and modulation applications.