Alignment-free fabrication of a hybrid electro-optic polymer/ion-exchange glass coplanar modulator

Opt Express. 2010 Sep 27;18(20):21038-46. doi: 10.1364/OE.18.021038.

Abstract

A hybrid electro-optic (EO) polymer phase modulator with a 6 μm coplanar electrode gap was realized on ion exchange glass substrates. The critical alignment steps which may be required for hybrid optoelectronic devices were eliminated with a simple alignment-free fabrication technique. The low loss adiabatic transition from glass to EO polymer waveguide was enabled by gray scale patterning of novel EO polymer, AJLY. Total insertion loss of 5 dB and electrode gap of 8 μm was obtained for an optimized device design. EO polymer poling at 135 °C and 75 V/μm was demonstrated for the first time on a phosphate glass substrate and was enabled by the sol-gel buffer layer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.