Optical-biased modulator employing a single silicon micro-ring resonator

We propose and experimentally demonstrate an optical-biased modulator employing a single silicon micro-ring resonator. By adjusting optical bias, the micro-ring modulator is capable of generating several modulation formats, namely, on-off keying, binary phase shift keying and reversed on-off keying, at the speed of 0.4 Gbit/s with extinction ratio higher than 5 dB. Compared to the previous reported bias control approaches, the optical bias proposed in this study is a novel mechanism, which can be easily conducted without complicated integrated structures or redundant electrical devices. Meanwhile, optical bias can also effectively protect the vulnerable integrated silicon devices from possible damage induced by high direct current voltage.