Fabrication and phase modulation in organic single-crystalline configurationally locked, phenolic polyene OH1 waveguides

Opt Express. 2008 Sep 29;16(20):15903-14. doi: 10.1364/oe.16.015903.

Abstract

A novel and promising technique for the fabrication of electro-optically active single crystalline organic waveguides from 2-{3-(4-hydroxystyryl)-5,5-dimethylcyclohex-2-enylidene}malononitrile (OH1) is presented. OH1 is an interesting material for photonic applications due to the large electro-optic coefficients (r333 = 109+/-4 pm/V at 632.8 nm) combined with a relatively high crystal symmetry (orthorhombic with point group mm2). Due to the very favorable growth characteristics, large-area (> 150 mm(2)) single crystalline thin films with very good optical quality and thickness between 0.05-10 microm have been grown on amorphous glass substrates. We have developed and optimized optical lithography and reactive ion etching processes for the fabrication of wire optical waveguides with dimensions of w x h = 3.4 x 3.5 microm(2) and above. The technique is capable of producing low loss integrated optical waveguides having propagation losses of 2 dB/cm with a high refractive index contrast between core-cladding and core-substrate of delta n = 1.23 and 0.72, respectively at 980 nm. Electro-optic phase modulation in these waveguides has been demonstrated at 632.8 nm and 852 nm. Calculations show that with an optimized electrode configuration the half-wave voltage x length product V(pi) x L can be reduced from 8.4 Vcm, as obtained in our device, to 0.3 Vcm in the optimized case. This allows for the fabrication of sub-1 V half-wave voltage, organic electro-optic modulators with highly stable chromophore orientation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Crystallization / methods*
  • Electronics / instrumentation
  • Equipment Design
  • Gold
  • Ions*
  • Lasers
  • Light
  • Materials Testing
  • Microscopy / methods
  • Nanotechnology
  • Optics and Photonics*
  • Phenols / chemistry
  • Polyenes / chemistry*
  • Scattering, Radiation

Substances

  • Ions
  • Phenols
  • Polyenes
  • Gold