简介：Reductionofmodulatorenergyconsumptionto10fJ∕bitisessentialforthesustainabledevelopmentofcommunicationsystems.Lumpedmodulatorsmightbeaviablesolutionifinstructedbyacompletetheorysystem.Here,wepresentacompleteanalyticalelectro-opticresponsetheory,energyconsumptionanalysis,andeyediagramsonabsolutescalesforlumpedmodulators.Consequentlythespeedlimitationisunderstoodandalleviatedbysingle-driveconfiguration,andcomprehensiveknowledgeintotheenergydependenceonstructuralparameterssignificantlyreducesenergyconsumption.Theresultsshowthatsiliconmodulationenergyaslowas80.8and21.5fJ∕bitcanbeachievedat28Gbdunder50and10Ωimpedancedrivers,respectively.A50Gbdmodulationisalsoshowntobepossible.Theanalyticalmodelscanbeextendedtolumpedmodulatorsonothermaterialplatformsandofferapromisingsolutiontothecurrentchallengesofmodulationenergyreduction.