A mechanically biased electrooptic polymer modulator

Mechanical biasing of an electrooptic polymer modulator is proposed and demonstrated by heterogeneously integrating waveguide structures with a piezoelectric element. Biasing is achieved by changing the path-length of one arms of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer by mechanically bending the waveguide structure. Applying ac voltage to the piezoelectric element generates a pilot tone, which is used to monitor the bias point of the modulator, while applying dc tunes the modulator to quadrature. The method separates the biasing and RF modulation of the device, thus avoiding the need for external biasing components and eliminating electrical bias drift.