Polymer Electro-optic Modulator Linear Bias Using the Thermo-optic Effect

A quasi-rectangular waveguide polymer Mach–Zehnder (M-Z) electro-optic (EO) modulator based on an organic/inorganic hybrid material with thermal bias control is fabricated and demonstrated. Linear bias for the modulator is obtained through thermo-optic effect. The optical output is adjusted by changing phase difference between the two arms of the M-Z interferometer. A power consumption of 16.1 mW for π phase change is observed owing to the application of silica cladding. This approach is proved to be effective to suppress direct current drift in polymer EO modulators.