Characterization of micromechanical optical modulator

In this paper, a Fabry-Perot optical modulator fabricated by surface micromechanical technique is presented. The modulator is optimized for a wavelength of 1.3μm and is intended for a fiber-to-the-home system. The actuation voltage of the modulator is measured to be 10-25 V. The optical modulator has a series of resonant frequencies determined from the device structure. When the modulator is driven by a sinusoidal signal, the output frequency will be doubled. For a driving signal greater than a certain value, the oscillation amplitude of the membrane will exceed λ/4, resulting in an ultrasaturation phenomenon.