Compact, Low-Loss, High-Speed Graphene Hybrid Modulator

Electro-optic modulators are pivotal to the advancement of photonic technologies, delivering faster, more efficient, and scalable solutions in optical communications, computing, and sensing. Their integration with existing photonic platforms, low-power operation, and high-frequency response is fundamental for current and future optical technologies. Silicon, compound semiconductors, thin‐film ferroelectrics, and organic polymers are widely used integrated electro-optic materials. However, standalone materials often exhibit inherent limitations in efficiency, optical loss, or response time. Hybrid integration emerges as a vital strategy to circumvent these fundamental constraints, synergizing complementary strengths to achieve modulator devices that satisfy stringent performance requirements. Here, we introduce a novel graphene-organic-silicon hybrid modulator that harnesses the unique properties of two-dimensional graphene materials as low-loss electrodes alongside the large electro-optic effects of organic materials, the high mode confinement of silicon slot waveguides, all seamlessly integrated within a silicon photonic device platform. The device capitalizes on the advantages of its constituent optical materials, delivering a highly efficient and compact phase modulator with a high efficiency of U _π L~0.32 V⋅mm and a footprint of merely 25 μm, featuring low on‐chip losses of 0.86-2.6 dB and achieving data modulation speeds measured up to 144 Gbit s ^-1 . By extending the frontiers of hybrid material integration, this work not only enhances modulator performance but also demonstrates the broader implications of advanced hybrid systems in advancing integrated photonic technologies.