Pigtailed single-mode fiber optic light modulator in silicon

The performance of a light modulator at a 1.3 mu m wavelength based on the plasma effect in silicon is described. The modulator is directly coupled to a single-mode fiber pigtail in a simple and robust package. The measured modulation index is 24% with a 3-dB bandwidth of 60 MHz, and the insertion loss is 5 dB. This modulator has applications in data acquisition from silicon sensors and other silicon ICs.>