Lightwave Logic, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWLG) and partner Polariton Technologies say they have demonstrated that Polariton's electro-optic polymer-based plasmonic optical modulators, which leverage Lightwave's polymer electro-optic material technology, have demonstrated a bandwidth greater than 250 GHz with a voltage-length product Figure of Merit (FoM) of 60 Vum. Such performance is approximately 10X better than that of optical semiconductor modulators and demonstrates the potential of plasmonic polymer optical modulators to meet the ultra-low power requirements likely to be required in future optical transceivers operating at greater than 800 Gbps.
The announcement follows test results reported in a post-deadline paper at ECOC 2022 this past September, ">500 GHz Bandwidth Graphene Photodetector Enabling Highest-Capacity Plasmonic-to-Plasmonic Links." The paper, presented by Stefan Koepfli of ETH Zurich, contained news of the 250-GHz bandwidth; the voltage-length product FoM is new, Lightwave Logic and Polariton Technologies say.
ETH Zurich also presented at ECOC in conjunction with Lightwave Logic and Polariton at ECOC 2021 (see "Lightwave Logic, Polariton Technologies claim record modulator performance at ECOC 2021").
"These results position us extremely well for next generation ultra-high-capacity interconnects for the hyperscale market,” commented Dr. Michael Lebby, CEO of Lightwave Logic. “The combination of electro-optic polymers and plasmonics is becoming an ideal sunrise technology platform to address the 'Achilles heel' of the data industry: high power consumption. As the industry contemplates the implementation of PAM4 200G lanes for 2023 and 2024, these optical devices already have shown capability for at least 2X these lane speeds."
"At Polariton we are excited about this achievement. With a decade of experience in plasmonic circuits, we value the collaboration with Lightwave Logic having supplied this excellent high-performance electro-optic material. We are looking forward to a solid product roadmap aimed at next-generation photonic devices, modulators, and transceivers," added Dr. Wolfgang Heni, co-CTO at Polariton.
For related articles, visit the Optical Technologies Topic Center.
For more information on optical components and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.
To stay abreast of optical communications technology, subscribe to Lightwave’s Enabling Technologies Newsletter.
