DC biased electro-optic polymer waveguide modulators with low half-wave voltage and high thermal stability

The full potential of second-order nonlinear polymers can be utilized in el ectro-optic polymer modulators with a DC biased operation scheme to greatly reduce the half-wave voltage. This technique makes use of the total achiev able electro-optic coefficient, which can be more than three times the valu e that is used by the conventional devices of poled electro-optic polymer. As the result of the DC bias and with high-mu beta chromophores, a low half -wave voltage of 1.5 V was achieved with 2-cm-long birefringent waveguide m odulators at the wavelength of 1.3 mu m. Results of a 200 degrees C stabili ty experiment indicate that this scheme also enables electro-optic polymer devices to meet the short-term high-temperature stability requirement becau se the polymer does not need to be poled prior to high-temperature steps, ( C) 1999 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [S0091-3286(89) 02112-1].