Electro-optical modulators are used to modulate an electrical information onto an optical carrier signal. For this purpose, the phase, amplitude, frequency or polarization of the optical signal is varied by an external electrical field. For technical applications materials with strong electro-optical effects are required. Frequently used systems are based on the Pockels effect (also called linear electro-optical effect) or the quantum-confined Stark effect. In the latter, the applied electric field shifts the valence and conduction bands, changing the absorption frequency. However, current electro-optical modulators exhibit increased power consumption, as well as problems with further miniaturization. In my work, I want to investigate the capability of three-dimensional supercrystals of semiconducting nanomaterials for electro-optic modulation based on the quantum confined Stark effect to address these problems.
