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Enhanced all-optical modulation in a graphene-coated fibre with low insertion loss

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Noel HealyORCiD

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Abstract

Graphene is a highly versatile two-dimensional material platform that offers exceptional optical and electrical properties. Of these, its dynamic conductivity and low effective carrier mass are of particular interest for optoelectronic applications as they underpin the material’s broadband nonlinear optical absorption and ultra-fast carrier mobility, respectively. In this paper, we utilize these phenomena to demonstrate a high-speed, in-fibre optical modulator developed on a side-polished optical fibre platform. An especially low insertion loss (<1 dB) was achieved by polishing the fibre to a near atomically smooth surface (<1 nm RMS), which minimized scattering and ensured excellent contact between the graphene film and the fibre. In order to enhance the light-matter interaction, the graphene film is coated with a high index polyvinyl butyral layer, which has the added advantage of acting as a barrier to the surrounding environment. Using this innovative approach, we have fabricated a robust and stable all-fibre device with an extinction ratio as high as 9 dB and operation bandwidth of 0.5 THz. These results represent a key step towards the integration of low-dimensional materials within standard telecoms networks.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Zhang H, Healy N, Shen L, Huang CC, Hewak DW, Peacock AC

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Scientific Reports

Year: 2016

Volume: 6

Online publication date: 22/03/2016

Acceptance date: 22/03/2016

Date deposited: 26/04/2016

ISSN (electronic): 2045-2322

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep23512

DOI: 10.1038/srep23512

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