Optical modulation in nonlinear-optical glass-ceramic fiber driven by Pockels effect

In telecommunication, optical signal control device is made of crystalline material, while optical fiber is made of glass material. In the latter case, the optical isotropy arising from disorder structure prohibits the Pockels effect, which is indispensable for the signal control. In this study, fiber-type glass-ceramics (GCs) with radially-oriented crystalline domain structure consisting of nonlinear optical crystal have been prepared using a silicate precursor glass, and optical modulation based on Pockels effect was demonstrated. The nonlinear-optical GC fiber is expected to be a new class of device with high affinity to optical fibers with long-term stability and reliability of lightwave control.