Patent ID: 8520984

Claim:
A silicon-based optical modulator comprising: an input optical waveguide splitter, responsive to an incoming continuous wave optical signal; a pair of optical waveguide arms, each waveguide arm coupled to a separate output from the input optical waveguide splitter, and each optical waveguide arm including a silicon-based modulating device comprising a first silicon region having dopants consisting of a first conductivity type and a second silicon region having dopants consisting of a second conductivity type, with an electrical modulating data signal applied to the silicon-based modulating device along each optical waveguide arm to create a modulated optical signal; and an output optical waveguide combiner, coupled to the outputs of the pair of optical waveguide arms to combine the pair of separately modulated optical signals and create an optically modulated output signal, wherein one of the first silicon regions of the modulating devices is coupled to receive the electrical modulating data signal and a second, remaining one of the first silicon regions of the modulating devices is coupled to receive a complementary version of the electrical modulating data signal, and the second silicon regions of the silicon-based modulating devices are held at a predetermined bias voltage selected to provide operation of the silicon-based modulating devices in an accumulation region of operation.