Mode-selective acousto-electric modulation of phonons in a silicon photonic platform

Abstract

Acousto-electric (AE) interactions enable electrical control of acoustic propagation through piezoelectric media. Bringing AE control onto integrated photonic platforms provides a powerful on-chip control mechanism to reconfigure both the acoustic propagation through piezoelectric media. Bringing AE control onto integrated photonic platforms provides a powerful on-chip control mechanism to reconfigure both the acoustic delay line response and the effective photon-phonon interaction by electrically tuning the phonon propagation. Here we report a mode-selective AE modulation effect in a scalable aluminum nitride on silicon-on-insulator (AlN-on-SOI) platform. An applied DC field is seen to modulate the phonon dissipation via changes in carrier concentration in a mode-selective fashion, producing up to 20 dB forward transmission suppression of non-fundamental modes within an acoustic delay line while maintaining the fundamental Rayleigh mode, a phenomenon not captured by conventional AE treatments. To probe these dynamics, we integrate an optical waveguide along the acoustic delay line, providing a broadband, non-destructive interface between the acoustic and optical domains. Leveraging both this optical interface and the underlying mode selectivity, we demonstrate proof-of-concept multi-domain transduction and Rayleigh-mode filtering on this hybrid platform, outlining a scalable path toward electrically reconfigurable mode engineering and microwave-photonic functionality.