High-efficient microstrip line polymer electro-optic modulators

Polymeric electro-optic modulators with microstrip line traveling-wave electrode was designed, fabricated and tested. Assuming that the electro-optic coefficient γ33 of the core polymer is 30 pm/V, the performance parameters of the designed modulator is half-wave voltage Vπ=6.70 V. The modulator was fabricated using the second-order nonlinear optical polymer materials which contained the independently synthesized chromophores. The performance of the modulators in direct current (DC), low frequency and microwave property were tested. Using the different poling methods, the low frequency Vπ values at 1.55μm were 10.5 V and 4.9 V for corona poling and contact poling, respectively. The electro-optic coefficient of core layer material γ33 was thus obtained as 21 pm/V and 45 pm/V. The extinction ratio was measured to be 24 dB. Microwave property of electrode system was also tested with a vector network analyzer, and S parameters reflected this electrode system with low microwave transmission loss and return loss.