Patent ID: 9564734
Date: 2017-02-07
CPC Classifications: G02F,H01S,H04B,Y10T

Claim:
1. A method for operating an optical modulator that includes a modulator optical waveguide formed on a substrate, the method comprising: (a) launching an continuous-wave input optical signal to propagate along the modulator optical waveguide, the input optical signal being characterized by an input optical power level and an optical signal wavelength; and (b) applying an electrical modulation signal to a modulator electrode positioned over a semiconductor modulator active region of the modulator optical waveguide so as to modulate an optical transmission level of the input optical signal through the modulator resulting in a modulated output optical signal emitted from the modulator, wherein: (c) the optical modulator is characterized by a zero-current modulator optical transmission level that is less than 100% and occurs when charge carriers are neither injected into nor extracted from the modulator active region; (d) an electrical modulation signal level that causes charge carriers to be injected into the modulator active region results in a modulator optical transmission level higher than the zero-current modulator transmission level; (e) an electrical modulation signal level that causes charge carriers to be extracted from the modulator active region results in a modulator optical transmission level lower than the zero-current modulator transmission level; (f) the modulator active region is characterized by an estimated optical gain peak wavelength; and (g) the optical signal wavelength is shorter than the estimated optical gain peak wavelength.