Development and application of organic electro-optic modulators

An overview of the status of development of prototype electro-optic modulators is presented together with a progress report of work being carried out at the University of Southern California. Fabrication of high frequency (1 MHz to 100 GHz) electro-optic modulators requires not only the development of materials with large optical nonlinearity but also materials capable of being processed into low loss, buried channel, nonlinear optical waveguides which can be impedance matched and secured by mechanically stable coupling to fiber optic transmission lines. Moreover, organic polymeric materials must then be interfaced to metal drive electrodes and accompanying semiconductor electronic circuitry. The various steps of synthesis and processing necessary to achieve an integrated polymer/semiconductor device are discussed with emphasis on the latest research advances in each area. Particular emphasis is given to the utilization of ultrastructure synthesis schemes which permit realization of thermally-stable, noncentrosymmetric lattices.