Thin-Film LiNbO3 (TFLN) versus LWLG Electro-optic Polymers
Performance
Thin-Film LiNbO3 (TFLN) - r33 intrinsically capped at ~ 31 pm/V at 1310 nm - n = 2.2, er = 30 (high dispersion across frequencies)
LWLG Electro-optic Polymers - No intrinsic cap on r33 (> 200 pm/V at 1310 nm easily achieved) - n ˜ 1.9, er ˜ 3-6 (low dispersion across frequencies)
Integration
Thin-Film LiNbO3 (TFLN) - Integration with Si/SiN very low yielding & basically still in R&D stage - Limited wafer size (150 mm) - Large device footprint (sub-cm scale) - High material cost w/ only one supplier (NanoLN)
LWLG Electro-optic Polymers - Fully Si compatible - Easily scalable to 300 (+) mm wafer - Very small device footprint (sub-mm scale) - Low material cost
Processing
Thin-Film LiNbO3 (TFLN) - Thin film uniformity becomes difficult as wafer size scales up - Specialized processing/tools needed – leads to higher costs associated with processing, QC, etc.
LWLG Electro-optic Polymers
- Spin-coating produces films with high uniformity - No specialized processing/tools needed (completely compatible with existing Si foundry processes/tools) – reduces costs associated with processing, QC, etc