Polymer electro-optic devices for integrated optics

Abstract Recent advances in polymer electro-optic polymers and in fabrication techniques have made possible advances in polymer optical guided wave devices which bring them much closer to system ready. The processing of a new thermal set FTC polymer and its incorporation into a high-frequency, low-Vπ optical amplitude modulator are reviewed. The design and fabrication of 100 GHz modulators and their integration with rectangular metal waveguides using an anti-podal finline transition with a flexible Mylar substrate is discussed. High-speed polymer modulators with balanced outputs and the in situ trimming of the output coupler is described. More complex guided wave devices using polymers are demonstrated by the photonic rf phase shifter. Techniques for integrating both passive and active polymers into the same optical circuit without the need for mode matching is presented and demonstrated. To reduce the Vπ of a polymer amplitude modulator to 1 V or under, a technique of constant-bias voltage is demonstrated. Finally, a technique to directly laser write electro-optic polymer devices is reviewed.