Graphene Electro-Absorption Modulators for Energy-Efficient and High-Speed Optical Transceivers

Graphene Electro-Absorption Modulators for Energy-Efficient and High-Speed Optical Transceivers | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Graphene Electro-Absorption Modulators for Energy-Efficient and High-Speed Optical Transceivers Andrea Ferrari, Matteo Tiberi, A. Montanaro, Chao Wen, J. Zhang, and 17 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6917505/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The increasing demand for energy-efficient hardware for artificial intelligence (AI) and data centres requires integrated photonic solutions delivering optical transceivers with Tbit/s data rates and energy consumption<1pJ/bit. Here, we report double single-layer graphene electro-absorption modulators on Si optimized for energy-efficient and ultra-fast operation, demonstrating 67GHz bandwidth and 80Gbit/s data rate, in both O and C bands, using a fabrication tailored for wafer-scale integration. We measure a data rate∼1.6 times larger than previously reported for graphene. We scale the modulator’s active area down to 22μm 2 , achieving a dynamic power consumption∼58fJ/bit, ∼3 times lower than previous graphene modulators and Mach-Zehnder modulators based on Si or lithium niobate. We show devices with∼0.037dB/Vμm modulation efficiency,∼16 times better than previous demonstrations based on graphene. This paves the way to wafer-scale production of graphene modulators on Si useful for Tbit/s optical transceivers and energy-efficient AI. Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical materials and structures/Graphene/Optical properties and devices Physical sciences/Engineering/Electrical and electronic engineering Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6917505","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":473607090,"identity":"d4f06b68-f08e-46af-bf61-2a014db717ad","order_by":0,"name":"Andrea Ferrari","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA4ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACxocPPlSgiLAR0sJsbDjjDIlazKQ520jRwt9+mEGacZ5NnrwD88NPNxjs5Bkk0hLwapE4k8xgXLgtrdjwAJuxdA5DsmGDRNoB/Nbc4D+QPHPb4cSNDTwMQC3MCQwS6Q14dcjfYGY4zDvnP0gL8+8chnrCWgxuMDM28zYcSJzPwMMGtOUwUAsBhxmeSWZmnHEsOXEDM5uZdY7BccM2nmcJeLXIHT/M/uNDjV3i/Pbmx7dzKqrl+dnTDPBqQbjwMJgkIiLhQL6BaKWjYBSMglEw0gAAPEk/WJIU4xQAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0907-9993","institution":"University of Cambridge","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Andrea","middleName":"","lastName":"Ferrari","suffix":""},{"id":473607091,"identity":"075129d6-315b-48e5-88bf-1335b71f4eec","order_by":1,"name":"Matteo Tiberi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Cambridge","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Matteo","middleName":"","lastName":"Tiberi","suffix":""},{"id":473607092,"identity":"04de0600-e4e2-4757-a74d-edd922522991","order_by":2,"name":"A. 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Here, we report double single-layer graphene electro-absorption modulators\r\non Si optimized for energy-efficient and ultra-fast operation, demonstrating 67GHz bandwidth\r\nand 80Gbit/s data rate, in both O and C bands, using a fabrication tailored for wafer-scale integration.\r\nWe measure a data rate∼1.6 times larger than previously reported for graphene. We scale\r\nthe modulator’s active area down to 22μm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e, achieving a dynamic power consumption∼58fJ/bit,\r\n∼3 times lower than previous graphene modulators and Mach-Zehnder modulators based on Si\r\nor lithium niobate. We show devices with∼0.037dB/Vμm modulation efficiency,∼16 times better\r\nthan previous demonstrations based on graphene. 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