Open AccessAlignment-free fabrication of a hybrid electro-optic polymer/ion-exchange glass coplanar modulator
Author(s) -
Ismail Emre Araci,
Roland Himmelhuber,
Chris DeRose,
Jingdong Luo,
Alex K.Y. Jen,
Robert A. Norwood,
N. Peyghambarian
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.18.021038
Subject(s) - materials science , fabrication , poling , optoelectronics , electrode , polymer , optics , chemistry , ferroelectricity , dielectric , composite material , medicine , alternative medicine , physics , pathology
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.