Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-tnzcf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-14T07:18:26.061Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Materials Requirements for Electro-Optic Polymers (for electronic systems applications)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

Rick Lytel and
George F. Lipscomb
Rick Lytel
Affiliation:
Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory, Palo Alto, CA 94304.
George F. Lipscomb
Affiliation:
Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory, Palo Alto, CA 94304.
Get access

Abstract

The field of electro-optic (EO) polymer materials for integrated optics has been developing rapidly during the past several years. Recent advances include the formulation of poled crosslinked epoxies and guest-host polyimides exhibiting thermal stability at temperatures significantly higher than that previously achieved with thermoplastic acrylate chemistry. These developments are an essential first step toward achieving practical materials exhibiting stability to manufacture, assembly, and end-use in modern electronic systems applications.

Despite these developments, there is still much basic research to be performed to achieve a practical EO polymer material system. A polymer material system for integrated optics consists of a set of three compatible materials: cladding polymers, passive core polymers, and active core polymers. The three materials should ideally be derived from the same base polymer so that the layers of the entire waveguide structure have nearly identical thermal, mechanical, chemical, electrical, and optical properties. In an ideal syst', the active core material would consist of passive materials highly loaded with aligned nonlinear optical moieties exhibiting large hyperpolarizabilities and suitable size and shape for thermal stability.

This paper provides a detailed review of the material requirements for EO polymer waveguide devices in electronic systems and points to new areas of research required for practical systems.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

REFERENCES

1. Garito, A.F., Wu, J., Lipscomb, G.F., and Lytel, R., “Nonlinear Optical Polymers: Challenges and Opportunities in Photonics”, Materials Research Society Symp. Proc. Vol. 173. 467(1990).Google Scholar
2. Lalama, S.J. and Garito, A.F., “Origin of the Nonlinear Second-order Optical Susceptibilities of Organic Systems”, Phys. Rev. A 20, 1179 (1979).Google Scholar
3. Singer, K.D. and Garito, A.F., “Measurements of Molecular Second-order Optical Susceptibilities Using DC Induced Second Harmonic Generation” J. Chem. Phys. 75, 3572 (1981).Google Scholar
4. Singer, K.D., Sohn, J.E., and Kuzyk, M.G., “Orientationally Ordered Electro-optic Materials” in Nonlinear Optical and Electro-active Polymers. Prasad, P.N. and Ulrich, D.R., ed., Plenum Press, New York (1988) p. 189.Google Scholar
5. Singer, K.D., Sohn, J.E., and Lalama, S.J., Appl. Phys. Lett. 49, 248 (1986), andGoogle Scholar
Singer, K.D., Kuzyk, M.G. and Sohn, J.E., “Second-Order nonlinear-optical processors in orientationally ordered materials: relationship between molecular and macroscopic properties”, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B4, 968 (1987).Google Scholar
6. Williams, D.J., “Nonlinear Optical Properties of Guest-Host Polymer Structures” in Nonlinear Optical Properties of Organic Molecules and Crystals, Vol. 1, Chemia, D. and Zyss, J., ed., Academic Press, NY (1987), p. 405.Google Scholar
7. Thackara, J.I., Lipscomb, G.F., Stiller, M.A., Ticknor, A.J. and Lytel, R., “Poled Electro-optic Waveguide Formation in Thin-film Organic Media” Appl. Phys. Lett. 52, 1031 (1988).Google Scholar
8. Mohlmann, G.R., Horsthuis, W.H., van der Vorst, C.P., “Recent Developments in Optically Nonlinear Polymers and Related Electro-Optic Devices,” Proc. SPIE 1177, 67 (1989).Google Scholar
9. Diemeer, M.B.J., Suyten, F.M.M., Trammel, E.S., McDonach, A., Copeland, M.J., Jenneskens, L.J. and Horsthuis, W.H.G., Electronics Letters 26 (6) 379 (1990).Google Scholar
10. Singer, K.D., Holland, W. R., Kuzyk, M.G., Wolk, G. L., Katz, H.E., Schilling, M.L., “Second Order Nonlinear Optical Devices in Poled Polymers,” Proc. SPIE 1147, 233 (1989).Google Scholar
11. Girton, D.G., Kwiatkowski, S., Lipscomb, G.F., and Lytel, R., “20 GHz Electro-optic Polymer Mach-Zehnder Modulator” Appl. Phys. Lett. 58, 1730 (1991).Google Scholar
12. Lytel, R., Lipscomb, G.F., Stiller, M., Thackara, J.I., and Ticknor, A.J., “Organic Integrated Optical Devices” in Nonlinear Optical Effects in Polymers, Messier, J., Kaj zar, F., Prasad, P., and Ulrich, D., eds., NATO ASI Series Vol. 162 (1989), p. 227.Google Scholar
13. Eidering, C.A., Knoesen, A., and Kowel, S.T., “Characterization of Polymeric Electro-optic Films Using Metal Mirror/Electrode Fabry-Perot Etalons” Proc. SPIE 1337, 348 (1990).Google Scholar
14. Van Eck, T.E., Ticknor, A.J., Lytel, R., and Lipscomb, G.F., “A Complementary Optical Tap Fabricated in an Electro-optic Polymer Waveguide” Appl. Phys. Lett 58, 1558 (1991).Google Scholar
15. Lytel, R., Lipscomb, G.F., Binkley, E.S., Girton, D.G., Kenney, J.T., Ticknor, A.J., and Van Eck, T.E., “Electro-optic Polymer Devices for Optical Interconnects” Proc. SPIE 1389, 547 (1991).Google Scholar
16. Lytel, R., Lipscomb, G.F., Kenney, J.T., and Binkley, E.S., “Large Scale Integration of Electro-optic Polymer Waveguides”, submitted to Polymers for Lightwave and Integrated Optics: Technology and Applications, Hornak, L.A., ed. (Marcel Dekker, 1992).Google Scholar
17. Ermer, S., Kenney, J., Wu, J., Valley, J., Lytel, R., and Garito, A.F., “Thermally Stable Electro-optic Polymers”, ACS National Meeting, NY (August 1991), to be published,Google Scholar
18. Lytel, R., Lipscomb, G.F., Binkley, E.S., Kenney, J.T., and Ticknor, A.J., “Electro-optic Polymer Waveguide Devices”, in Materials for Nonlinear Optics: Chemical Perspectives, Marder, S.R., Sohn, J.E., and Stucky, G.D., eds., ACS Symposium Series No. 455 (American Chemical Society, 1991), p. 103.Google Scholar
19. Singer, K. D., Sohn, J.E., and Lalama, S.J., Appl. Phys. Lett, 49, 248 (1986), andGoogle Scholar
Singer, K.D., Kuzyk, M.G. and Sohn, J.E., “Second-Order nonlinear-optical processors in orientationally ordered materials: relationship between molecular and macroscopic properties”, J Opt. Soc. Am. B4, 968 (1987).Google Scholar
20. Williams, D.J., “Nonlinear Optical Properties of Guest-Host Polymer Structures”, in Nonlinear Optical Properties of Organic Molecules and Crystals, Vol. 1, Chemia, D. and Zyss, J., ed., Academic Press, NY (1987), p. 405.Google Scholar
21. Wu, J. W., “Biréfringent and Electro-optic Effects in Poled Polymer Films: Steady State and Transient Properties”, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B48, 142 (1991).Google Scholar
22. Valley, J. F., Wu, J. W., and Valencia, C. L., “Heterodyne Measurement of Poling Transient Effects in Electro-optic Polymer Thin Films”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 57, 1084 (1990).Google Scholar
23. Jungbauer, D., Reck, B., Twieg, R., Yoon, D. Y., Wilson, C. G., and Swalen, J. D., “Highly Efficient and Stable Nonlinear Optical Polymers via Chemical Cross-linking under Electric Field”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 56, 2610 (1990).Google Scholar
24. Lytel, R.S., “Applications of Electro-optic Polymers to Integrated Optics”, Proc. SPIE 1216, 30 (1990).Google Scholar
25. Wu, J.W., Valley, J.F., Ermer, S., Binkley, E.S., Kenney, J.T., Lipscomb, G.F., Lytel, R., “Thermal Stability of Electro-Optic Response in Poled Polyimide Systems”, Appl. Phys. Lett., 58, 225 (1991).Google Scholar
26. Wu, J.W., Binkley, E.S., Kenney, J.T., and Lytel, R., “High Thermally Stable Electro-optic Response in Poled Guest-Host Polyimide Systems Cured at 360° C”, J. Appl. Phys. 69, 7366 (1991).Google Scholar
27. Wu, J.W., Valley, J.F., Stiller, M.A., Ermer, S.P., Binkley, E.S., Kenney, J.T., Lipscomb, G.F., and Lytel, R., “Poled Polyimides as Thermally Stable Electro-optic Polymers”, Proc. SPIE 1560, paper 18 (July 1991), to be published. Google Scholar