Comparison between methods to measureintensity modulator Vpi

Abstract

We describe and compare in this paper two common methods to measure the half-wave voltage (Vpi) of an electro-optical modulator versus RF frequency of the driving electronic signal. We detail the required calibration procedures when necessary and demonstrate the methods experimentally from 100MHz up to 40GHz. Guidelines are finally given to select the most appropriate method depending on the application and modulator characteristics.