• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.545-554
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• 2003

Design of the optical modulator composed of a three-waveguide coupler and CPW traveling-wave electrodes was carried out. Switching phenomena of three-waveguide couplers were analyzed by using the coupled mode theory, and the coupling-lengths of the devices were calculated by means of the FDM. CPW traveling-wave electrodes were analysed by the CMM and SOR simulation technique in order to find the conditions of phase-velocity and impedance matching. Traveling-wave modulators were fabricated on z-cut LiNbO$_3$ substrate. Ti was in-diffused in LiNbO$_3$ to make waveguides and Au electrodes were built on the waveguides by the electrolyte technique. The fabricated modulator chip was end-polished, pig-tailed and packaged in a brass mount with K-connector. The insertion loss and the switching voltage of the optical modulator were about 4㏈ and 19V, respectively. Network analyzer was used to obtain the S parameter and the corresponding RF response. From the measurement, parameters of the traveling-wave electrodes were extracted to be Z$_{c}$= 45 Ω, N$_{eff}$=2.20, and $\alpha$$_{0}$=0.055/cm√GHZ. The measured optical response R($\omega$) was compared with the theoretically estimated one, showing both responses agree well. The measurement results revealed that 3㏈ bandwidth turned out to be about 13 GHz.