DIRECT ELECTRON-BEAM IRRADIATION - A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR THE ERASURE OF2ND-ORDER NONLINEARITY AND THE FABRICATION OF CHANNEL WAVE-GUIDES BY USE OF OPTICAL POLYMERIC FILMS

We demonstrate a novel and simple technique for fabrication of a nonli near-optical polymeric waveguide device by direct electron-beam irradi ation. To form a periodically poled nonlinear-optical polymer waveguid e, we exposed dye-doped polymer films directly to electron beams with an energy of 25 keV. It became clear that irradiation with electron be ams erased the second-order nonlinearity of poled polymer film. We cou ld also confirm that a ridge-type channel waveguide was realized by me ans of this simple technique. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.