Electro-optic polymer modulators with 0.8 V half-wave voltage

We report the fabrication and test results for polymeric electro-optic modulators with a half-wave voltage of 0.8 V and a half-wave voltage-interaction length product of 2.2 V cm. These modulators employ an optical push-pull architecture and are made from poly(methylmethacrylate) with a high molecular hyperpolarizability polyene bridge-type chromophore. An electro-optic coefficient of 58 pm/V was obtained at a 1318 nm wavelength. The guest-host polymer system exhibited a thermal stability to 75 degrees C and a relatively stable nonlinearity at ambient conditions. The experimental results have demonstrated not only the sub-1 V half-wave voltage electro-optic polymer modulator but also the potential of polymeric electro-optic materials for photonic applications. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)01227-4].