A 100 Gbit/s 2 Vpp power multiplexer in SiGe BiCMOS technology for directly driving a monolithically integrated plasmonic MZM in a silicon photonics transmitter

An 8:1 multiplexer with a power output stage (PMUX) in SiGe BiCMOS technology for directly driving a plasmonic Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) with a 2 Vpp differential voltage swing at a data rate of 100Gbit/s is presented. The PMUX is intended to be monolithically integrated with an ultrashort MZM on a single chip in a novel silicon photonic process. Through this integration, the bandwidth and output voltage swing could be improved compared to an external MZM load that requires far end termination. Furthermore, the direct driving by the PMUX eliminates the traditional driver amplifier, whereby power can be saved and the signal quality can be improved. Electrical measurements of the MUX show clear eye openings at 100Gbit/s up to a 2.0 Vpp differential output voltage swing at an external 50 Ω oscilloscope load. The inherent high-speed capability of the PMUX is demonstrated at the speed limit of the available measurement equipment at 140Gbit/s, where the PMUX still achieves 1.2 Vpp differential voltage swing, which is a record for SiGe bipolar technology.