Demonstration of ultrathin film silicon-organic hybrid modulator with long-term stability in a damp heat environment

Silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) modulators have garnered sustained interest due to their superior performance, with low driving voltage and compact footprint. However, concerns regarding their reliability have greatly hindered their widespread deployment. Recent progress in molecular synthesis significantly improves the thermal stability of SOH modulators. However, the reliability of the damp heat aging test has not been reported. In this paper, we report on a thin-film SOH modulator with a half-wave voltage–length product (V_πL) of 1.18 V·cm. The device’s frequency response extends beyond 33 GHz without degradation. After exposure to 85°C and 85% relative humidity for 1000 h without packaging, the electro-optic response of the modulator degrades by only 7.3%. This demonstration may help resolve doubts regarding the durability of SOH modulators.