Integrated Electro-Optical Sensors for Microwave Photonic Applications on Thin-Film Lithium Niobate

In-plane integrated electro-optical (EO) sensors have been recently investigated for microwave photonic applications. Here, implementation of these sensors on thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) on quartz substrates is proposed and studied. Simulation results confirm the superior performance of such sensors compared to those on previously pursued platforms. A maximum field enhancement (FE) factor of 1100 with 17 GHz bandwidth at the center frequency of 28 GHz is reachable on this platform with the use of a bow-tie antenna. Also, using a patch antenna, a maximum FE factor of 950 can be obtained with a 39 dB difference between the carrier and first sideband intensities for an incident electric field amplitude of 10 V/m. Therefore, by choosing the proper type of antenna, both high-bandwidth and high-sensitivity EO microwave sensors are achievable on TFLN on quartz.