Indium Phosphide (InP)-based modulators offer performance advantages for high speedand high efficiency optical communication systems due to their superior electro-optic
properties and the maturity of the InP platform. This dissertation presents the design,
fabrication, and integration of high speed InP modulators for micro-transfer print (MTP)
integration with low loss Silicon Nitride (SiN) photonics. The integration of InP with
SiN via MTP provides the benefit of low loss passive components with high maturity
while also utilizing the high efficiency of InP. A MTP compatible fabrication process
was developed for traveling wave electro-absorption modulators (TWEAMs). Slow wave
periodically loaded electrodes are utilized to improve impedance and electro-optic velocity
matching. A model for traveling wave electro-optic response was developed and verified
experimentally. Two generations of fabrication were performed, increasing the yield of
transfer printing and the overall robustness of the platform. To improve the high-frequency
performance of the EAM, on chip termination resistors and capacitors were fabricated
and calibrated to integrate with full TWEAMs. A deep etch using a ruthenium mask was
developed to fabricate optical quality facets for the coupling of light between InP and
SiN. Coupling losses of 6.5dB per facet were measured and a clear path to improvement
is presented. High electro-optic bandwidths of up to 58GHz were measured on native
InP modulators with DC extinction ratios of up to 5dB. Open eyes on MTP devices
were measured at speeds up to 58Gbps confirming the device’s suitability for advanced
communication applications. An optical modulation amplitude of 433μW and extinction
ratio of 2.4dB was also measured at 58Gbps despite a 105nm delta between the photoluminescence
peak of the epitaxy and the operating wavelength. This work highlights the potential
of InP-on-Silicon photonic integration via MTP for next-generation high-speed data
transmission systems, providing a pathway to scalable and efficient photonic circuits.
