SINGLE-BEAM POLARIZATION INTERFEROMETRY MEASUREMENT OF THE LINEAR ELECTROOPTIC EFFECT IN POLED POLYMER-FILMS WITH A REFLECTION CONFIGURATION

Measurement of the linear electro-optic effect in poled polymer thin f ilms with two parallel electrodes is analyzed. A single-beam polarizat ion interferometry is adopted in a reflection configuration. The depen dence of the linear electro-optic modulated intensity on linear optica l parameters is investigated experimentally and is compared with the t heoretical analysis. Specifically, the electro-optic modulated intensi ty is measured as a function of optical bias, optical polarization dir ection, and incidence angle. In particular, the dependence of the elec tro-optic modulated signal on the incidence angle shows that the linea r electro-optic effect in the polymer thin film induces the modulation s of both the refractive angle and the linear refractive index. Also, the amount of Fabry-Perot effect influencing the modulation signal is analyzed. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.