Tuneable electro-optic modulator

1. A tuneable electro-optic modulator comprising

first and second spaced apart output optical waveguides, each output optical waveguide comprising a coupled portion optically coupled to a corresponding coupled portion of the other output optical waveguide, the coupled portions defining a coupling region therebetween;

an optical source adapted to symmetrically provide an optical signal to the first and second output optical waveguides;

a portion of each of the output optical waveguides having a signal electrode thereon; and

a central optical waveguide, at least a portion of which is arranged in the coupling region, the central optical waveguide having a tuning electrode thereon;

wherein each output optical waveguide comprises an electro-optic region having a signal electrode thereon and at least one passive region without a signal electrode thereon, the passive region being on the opposite side of the electro-optic region to the optical source, and wherein the coupled portion of each output optical waveguide comprises the electro-optic region and the passive region, the electro-optic region and passive regions of one output optical waveguide being coupled to the corresponding electro-optic and passive regions respectively of the other output optical waveguide.

2. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second output optical waveguides have the same effective refractive index.

3. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the output optical waveguides are the same width.

4. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the output optical waveguides are the same thickness.

5. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the central optical waveguide has a different effective refractive index to the output optical waveguides.

6. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the central optical waveguide has a different width than the output optical waveguides.

7. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the optical source comprises an optical sputter comprising an input port and first and second output ports for communication with the first and second output optical waveguides respectively.

8. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the optical splitter comprises a Y junction.

9. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coupled portion of each output optical waveguide comprises at least part of the passive region.

10. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal electrodes extend along between 50% and 80% of the length of the output optical waveguides.

11. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ends of the output optical waveguides remote from the optical source are connected together by a junction recombiner.

12. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electro-optic region of each output optical waveguide is split into a plurality of sub regions by at least one passive region, the passive region and the corresponding passive region of the other output optical waveguide comprising coupled portions.

13. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the electro-optic region of each output optical waveguide is split into two sub regions by a coupled portion.

14. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the electro-optic region of each output optical waveguide is split into a plurality of sub regions by a plurality of coupled portions.

15. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the distance between the two output optical waveguides at the coupled portions is less than the distance between the output optical waveguides at the electro-optic regions.

16. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 14 , comprising a plurality of central optical waveguides each having a tuning electrode, each central optical waveguide being arranged at least partially within a coupling region.

17. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the potential of at least one tuning electrode can be set independently of the others.

18. A method of tuning a tuneable electro-optic modulator comprising the steps of:

(a) providing first and second spaced apart output optical waveguides, each output optical waveguide comprising a coupled portion optically coupled to a corresponding coupled portion of the other output optical waveguide, the coupled portions defining a coupling region therebetween, an optical source adapted to symmetrically provide an optical signal to the first and second output optical waveguides, a portion of each of the output optical waveguides having a signal electrode thereon, and a central optical waveguide, at least a portion of which is arranged in the coupling region, the central optical waveguide having a tuning electrode thereon;

(b) symmetrically providing a continuous wave input optical signal to the output optical waveguides;

(c) applying RF potentials to the first and second signal electrodes of amplitudes V 1 and V 2 respectively to determine the transmission I of the modulator as a function of Δv=V 1 −V 2 ; and,

(d) repeating step (c) with different values of tuning potential applied to the tuning electrode to determine a tuning potential at which at least one harmonic of the function I(Δv) is a minimum.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein V 1 =−V 2 .

20. A method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the harmonic is the third harmonic.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the fifth harmonic is minimised in addition to the third harmonic.

22. A method of tuning a tuneable electro-optic modulator comprising the steps of

(a) providing first and second spaced apart output optical waveguides, each output optical waveguide comprising a coupled portion optically coupled to a corresponding coupled portion of the other output optical waveguide, the coupled portions defining a coupling region therebetween, an optical source adapted to symmetrically provide an optical signal to the first and second output optical waveguides, a portion of each of the output optical waveguides having a signal electrode thereon, and a central optical waveguide, at least a portion of which is arranged in the coupling region, the central optical waveguide haying a tuning electrode thereon;

(b) symmetrically providing a continuous wave input optical signal to the output optical waveguides;

(c) applying RF potentials to the first and second signal electrodes of amplitude V 1 and V 2 respectively to determine the transmission I of the modulator as a function of Δv=V 1 −V 2 ; and,

(d) repeating step (c) with different values for tuning potential applied to the tuning electrodes to determine a tuning potential at which the extinction ratio of the modulator is a maximum.

23. A tuneable electro-optic modulator comprising

first and second output optical waveguides, optically coupled together along at least a portion of their length;

an optical source adapted to symmetrically provide an optical signal to the first and second output optical waveguides;

a portion of each of the output optical waveguides having signal electrodes thereon; and,

a central waveguide between the first and second waveguides and extending substantially parallel thereto, the central waveguide having a tuning electrode thereon, the central waveguide extending into the region between the first and second waveguides where the first and second waveguides are optically coupled together;

wherein each output optical waveguide comprises an electro-optic region having a signal electrode thereon and at least one passive region without a signal electrode thereon, the passive region being on the opposite side of the electro-optic region to the optical source, and wherein the coupled portion of each output optical waveguide comprises the electro-optic region and the passive region, the electro-optic region and passive regions of one output optical waveguide being coupled to the corresponding electro-optic and passive regions respectively of the other output optical waveguide.

24. A tuneable electro-optic modulator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal electrodes extend along between 55% and 65% of the length of the output optical waveguides.