Infrared Optical Modulator Based on VO ₂ Nanorod‐Embedded Photonic Crystal Waveguide

Abstract

ABSTRACT A near‐infrared (IR) optical modulator based on a silicon photonic crystal (PhC) waveguide structure is introduced. To control the light modulation process, Vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) nanorods are inserted into the central defect of the PhC waveguide. The full vectorial finite element method (FVFEM) is employed to perform the bandgap analysis, numerical modelling, and the light propagation characteristics inside the proposed PhC structures. Several configurations of VO 2 nanorods are studied to obtain the lowest insertion loss ( IL ) and the highest extinction ratio ( ER ). The obtained results reveal that the presented modulator achieves a low IL of 1.94 dB and a large ER of 10.5 dB by adding a rectangular array of VO 2 nanorods in the central defect of the PhC waveguide. The results obtained are promising compared to those reported in the literature. Thus, the suggested modulator can be a good candidate for integrated photonic applications and optical communications.