title: Fabrication and phase modulation in organic single-crystalline configurationally locked, phenolic polyene OH1 waveguides.
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.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Quantum Electronics, Nonlinear Optics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hunziker
authors.forename: Seong-Ji
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Figi
authors.forename: Mojca
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jazbinsek
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Günter
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D004581:Electronics / Q000295:instrumentation; D004867:Equipment Design; D006046:Gold; D007477:Ions; D007834:Lasers; D008027:Light; D008422:Materials Testing; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods; D036103:Nanotechnology; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D010636:Phenols / Q000737:chemistry; D011090:Polyenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation
chemical_list: D007477:Ions; D010636:Phenols; D011090:Polyenes; D006046:Gold