Planar ZnO ultraviolet modulator

A planar electroabsorption modulator suitable for spatial light modulation has been constructed. The device operates near the band edge of zinc oxide at 3.3eV and is based on broadening and shifting of the unconfined exciton with an externally applied electric field. The ZnO active layer was deposited on an aluminum/titanium oxide dielectric on an indium tin oxide conducting layer on glass. A transparent conductive InGaZnO layer on a spin on glass insulator served as the top contact, allowing high electric fields to be applied transverse to the ZnO layer. The modulator operates at room temperature in transmission mode with +45% modulation at 373nm and −18% modulation at 380nm at 140V applied bias, corresponding to ∼450kV∕cm electric field across the ZnO active layer.