A quasi-matching scheme for arbitrary group velocity match in electro-optic modulation

Group velocity and impedance matches are prerequisites for high-speed Mach–Zehnder electro-optic (EO) modulators. However, not all platforms can realize matching conditions, restricting high-speed modulation in many practical conditions. Here, we propose and demonstrate a quasi-matching scheme to satisfy the group velocity and characteristic impedance matches by cascading fast-wave and slow-wave traveling wave electrodes. The effective group velocity can be flexibly adjusted by changing the ratio of fast-wave and slow-wave traveling wave electrodes. Moreover, the quasi-matching scheme is experimentally verified by demonstrating a 6 mm long EO modulator on a thin-film lithium-niobate-on-insulator platform with a silica cladding. The radio frequency signal insertion loss at the boundary of the slow-wave and fast-wave electrodes is less than 0.12 dB. The measured small signal EO response of the quasi-matched EO modulator drops less than 2 dB at 67 GHz, while the measured small-signal EO responses of conventional slow and fast traveling wave EO modulators drop 4 dB at 67 GHz. The measured 100 Gb/s on–off key signal eye-diagrams of the quasi-matched EO modulator also exhibit an overwhelming advantage over conventional schemes. Therefore, our results will open many opportunities for high-speed EO modulators in various platforms.