Leaky mode operation in FLC/waveguide modulator

Abstract An analogue electrooptic modulation has been realized in ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC)/waveguide modulator using FLC as an active cladding layer. This analogue response is using the electroclinic effect in the SmA phase. The response waveforms obtained in the experiment has been numerically analyzed on the assumption that the evanescent wave energy leaked in the FLC layer is scattered by the Rayleigh scattering and the imperfection of the molecular alignment.