Optical architecture with hybrid on-silicon III-V modulator

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a signal input to receive an input signal;

a splitter to separate the input signal into an in-phase portion of the input signal and a quadrature portion of the input signal;

a modulator arrangement to modulate the in-phase portion of the input signal to generate a modulated in-phase portion of the input signal and to modulate the quadrature portion of the input signal to generate a modulated quadrature portion of the input signal; and

a coupler to form an output signal based on the modulated in-phase portion of the input signal and the modulated quadrature portion of the input signal,

wherein the modulator arrangement includes a substrate comprising silicon, one or more quantum wells comprising a III-V material, and a waveguide between the substrate and the III-V material, the waveguide comprising silicon.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the III-V material includes indium and phosphorous.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising an amplifier communicatively coupled with the modulator arrangement.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the amplifier is to amplify at least one of the input signal, the in-phase portion of the input signal, or the quadrature portion of the input signal.

5. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the amplifier is to amplify at least one of the modulated in-phase portion of the input signal, the modulated quadrature portion of the input signal, or the output signal.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the input signal is a first input signal, and wherein the electronic device further comprises:

a second signal input to receive a second input signal;

a second splitter to separate the second input signal into an in-phase portion of the second input signal and a quadrature portion of the second input signal; and

wherein the modulator arrangement is to modulate the in-phase portion of the second input signal and the quadrature portion of the second input signal.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the first input signal has a first polarization, and the second input signal has a second polarization, different from the first polarization.

8. The electronic device of claim 6 , further comprising a polarization rotator and beam combiner (PRBC) communicatively coupled with the coupler.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:

the waveguide extends along an axis,

the III-V material extends along the axis, and

a dimension of the III-V material in a direction perpendicular to the axis is different from a dimension of the waveguide in the direction perpendicular to the axis.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the III-V material tapers in a direction of the axis.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the modulator arrangement further includes a buried layer of an insulator material, wherein the buried layer is between the substrate and the waveguide, and the waveguide is between the buried layer and the III-V material.

12. An electronic device, comprising:

a splitter to separate an input signal into an in-phase portion and a quadrature portion;

a modulator to modulate the in-phase portion of the input signal to produce a modulated in-phase portion and further to modulate the in-phase portion of a second input signal to produce a second modulated in-phase portion, wherein the modulator includes indium and phosphorous over a waveguide that includes silicon; and

a coupler to couple the modulated in-phase portion and a modulated quadrature portion of the input signal to produce an output signal.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the modulator is a Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM).

14. The electronic device of claim 12 , further comprising a power source that is to supply a half-wave voltage to the modulator, wherein the half-wave voltage is less than 2 volts.

15. The electronic device of claim 12 , further comprising a second modulator to modulate the quadrature portion of the input signal to produce a modulated quadrature portion.

16. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the modulator is further to modulate the quadrature portion of the input signal.

17. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the electronic device further includes an amplifier communicatively coupled with the modulator.

18. A modulator, comprising:

a signal input;

a signal output;

a waveguide, wherein the waveguide includes silicon and is coupled between the signal input and the signal input; and

a quantum well comprising a III-V material, wherein the quantum well is physically coupled with the waveguide, and wherein a width of the quantum well is different from a width of the waveguide.

19. The modulator of claim 18 , wherein the signal input is to receive an unmodulated optical signal, and wherein the signal output is to output a modulated optical signal that is based on a modulated in-phase component of the unmodulated optical signal or a modulated quadrature component of the unmodulated optical signal.

20. The modulator of claim 18 , wherein the signal input is to receive an unmodulated optical signal, and wherein the signal output is to output a modulated optical signal that is based on a modulated in-phase component of the unmodulated optical signal and a modulated quadrature component of the unmodulated optical signal.

21. The modulator of claim 18 , further comprising:

a second signal input to receive a second unmodulated optical signal; and

a second signal output to output a second modulated optical signal that is based on the second unmodulated optical signal.

22. The modulator of claim 18 , wherein the III-V material includes indium and phosphorous.

23. The modulator of claim 18 , wherein the modulator is a Mach-Zehnder modulator.

24. The modulator of claim 18 , wherein the signal input is to receive an unmodulated optical signal, and the signal output is to output a modulated optical signal that is based on the unmodulated optical signal.