Reduction of modulator energy consumption to 10 fJ∕bit is essential for the sustainable development of communication systems.Lumped modulators might be a viable solution if instructed by a complete theory system.Here,we present a complete analytical electro-optic response theory,energy consumption analysis,and eye diagrams on absolute scales for lumped modulators.Consequently the speed limitation is understood and alleviated by single-drive configuration,and comprehensive knowledge into the energy dependence on structural parameters significantly reduces energy consumption.The results show that silicon modulation energy as low as 80.8 and 21.5 fJ∕bit can be achieved at 28 Gbd under 50 and 10 Ω impedance drivers,respectively.A 50 Gbd modulation is also shown to be possible.The analytical models can be extended to lumped modulators on other material platforms and offer a promising solution to the current challenges of modulation energy reduction.
Silicon photonics has become one of the major technologies in this very information age. It has been intensively pursued by researchers and entrepreneurs all over the world in recent years. Achieving the large scale silicon photonic integration, particularly monolithic integration, is the final goal so that high density data communication will become much cheaper, more reliable, and less energy consuming. Comparing with the developed countries, China may need to invest more to develop top down nanoscale integration capability （more on processing technology） to sustain the development in silicon photonics and to elevate its own industry structure.
