Provided is a light modulation element including a first contact layer, a second contact layer, an active layer provided between the first contact layer and the second contact layer, a first contact plug provided between the first contact layer and the active layer, and a second contact plug provided between the second contact layer and the active layer, wherein a width of at least one of the first contact plug and the second contact plug is less than a width of the active layer.

A digital-to-analog converter has a first interface coupled to a second interface through one or more modulation circuits. The circuits include a first coupler connected to the first interface; a first waveguide with a first lead connected to the first coupler, a first end, and a first length running therebetween. The first lead and the first end are coupled by a first switch. The circuits also include: a second coupler connected to the first interface; a second waveguide having a second lead connected to the second coupler, a second end, and a second length running therebetween, the second lead and the second end coupled by a second switch along the second length; and an optical combiner connected to the ends of the waveguides. The second interface is connected to the optical combiner of the modulation circuits. Output from the second interface is an optical signal capable of carrying binary information.

A display comprises a substrate (e.g., glass), a plurality of pixel circuits disposed on a back surface of the substrate, and a plurality of self-emitting devices disposed on a front surface of the substrate. The self-emitting devices are electrically connected to the plurality of pixel circuits by at least one electrically conductive via traveling through the substrate. Each pixel circuit comprises a first and a second transistor and a capacitor. The self-emitting devices may be LEDs or OLEDs for example.

Examples described herein relate to an optical device that entails phase shifting an optical signal. The optical device includes an optical waveguide having a first semiconductor material region and a second semiconductor material region formed adjacent to each other and defining a junction therebetween. Further, the optical device includes an insulating layer formed on top of the optical waveguide. Moreover, the optical device includes a III-V semiconductor layer formed on top of the insulating layer causing an optical mode of an optical signal passing through the optical waveguide to overlap with the first semiconductor material region, the second semiconductor material region, the insulating layer, and the III-V semiconductor layer thereby resulting in a phase shift in the optical signal passing through the optical waveguide.

An electro-optical phase modulator includes a waveguide made from a stack of strips. The stack includes a first strip made of a doped semiconductor material of a first conductivity type, a second strip made of a conductive material or of a doped semiconductor material of a second conductivity type, and a third strip made of a doped semiconductor material of the first conductivity type. The second strip is separated from the first strip by a first interface layer made of a dielectric material, and the third strip is separated from the second strip by a second interface layer made of a dielectric material.

A ring resonator optical modulator comprises: an optical region in which optical radiation can propagate in a circular path having an inner radius and an outer radius coincident with an outer perimeter of the ring resonator optical modulator; a MOS capacitor structure having an upper gate device layer and a lower body device layer, and an insulating material being disposed between the upper gate device layer and the lower body device layer; and a cladding region. The optical radiation is confined within the optical region. The insulating material has a first region disposed in the optical region having a first thickness and a second region having a second thickness greater than the first thickness, the second region being disposed radially inwardly from the inner radius of the optical region, such that the optical radiation is radially confined toward the outer side of the inner radius of the optical region.

Various embodiments of a micro-disc modulator as well as a silicon photonic device and an optoelectronic communication apparatus using the micro-disc modulator are described. In one aspect, a device includes a SOI substrate and a silicon photonic structure formed on a primary surface of the SOI substrate. The semiconductor substrate includes a silicon waveguide and a micro-disc modulator. The micro-disc modulator is adjacent to the silicon waveguide and has a top surface substantially parallel to the primary surface of the SOI substrate. The top surface of the micro-disc modulator includes one or more discontinuities therein. The micro-disc modulator may be a multi junction micro-disc modulator having two vertical p-n junctions with a single resonance frequency to achieve high-speed modulation and low-power consumption.

A silicon modulator where the doping profile varies along the lateral and/or longitudinal position in the transition zones to achieve improved performance in terms of either optical attenuation or contact access resistance or both. A silicon-based modulator includes a waveguide including a contact region and a core region, wherein the waveguide includes a dopant concentration that decreases from the contact region to the core region in a transition zone according to a doping profile that is variable.

A silicon modulator where the doping profile varies along the lateral and/or longitudinal position in the transition zones to achieve improved performance in terms of optical attenuation or contact access resistance or both. A modulator includes a core; a first transition zone that is a P-side region adjacent to the waveguide core, the first transition zone has a first longitudinal doping profile; and a second transition zone that is an N-side region adjacent to the core on an opposite side as the first transition region, the second transition zone has a second longitudinal doping profile; the first longitudinal doping profile has a variation of doping concentration along a longitudinal direction in the first transition region to mimic a first lateral doping profile, and the second longitudinal doping profile has a variation of doping concentration along a longitudinal direction in the second transition region to mimic a second lateral doping profile.

Structures for an electro-optic modulator and methods of fabricating a structure for an electro-optic modulator. The electro-optic modulator has a layer stack arranged over a section of a waveguide core. The layer stack includes a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer. The first layer, the second layer, and the third layer are each composed of either copper or indium-tin oxide.