Overview of EO polymers and polymer modulator stability

Abstract

This is a brief overview of the technology of nonlinear optical polymers (NLOP) and their use in electrooptic (EO) modulators. This paper also covers preliminary results from the authors' laboratories on highly active CLD-and FTC-type chromophores in guest-host films of APC amorphous polycarbonate. Emphasis will be given to thermal stability and long-term EO modulator aging.

Development of components for IFOG-based inertial measurement units using polymer waveguide fabrication technologies

“…The length of the non-polarizing waveguides were short enough (about 17 mm) to preserve the colinearity of the polarization of the guided light with the modulating electric field. Phase modulators with V π as low as 4.5 V and total insertion loss as low as 8 dB were fabricated with a high performance electro-optic guest-host material comprising a modified CLD chromophore in amorphous polycarbonate (APC) as the core [9,10] along with a UV curing epoxy (Norland-71) and a customized polyimide as the claddings [13]. The propagation loss in the polymer waveguides was the major contribution to the total insertion loss of the modulator.…”

“…In the case of phase modulators, the use of passive and active polymers in fabricating waveguides provides unique advantages over the use of conventional inorganic crystalline materials. The active core material of the polymer waveguides is created by incorporating optically nonlinear chromophores with a polymer host by doping or chemical bonding [9,10]. Their electro-optic (E-O) coefficient can be improved by increasing the second-order nonlinearity of the chromophores with the aid of molecular engineering and synthesis techniques, hence lowering the drive voltage.…”