Polarization-insensitive interferometric waveguide electrooptic modulator

Claim 2

A polarization-insensitive interferometric waveguide electrooptic modulator comprising: a. first and second waveguide channels diverging from a common light input to form co-extensive channels, and reconverging to a common light output, wherein the waveguide channels are composed of an electrooptically responsive organic medium; b. a first set of spaced electrodes positioned in proximity along one of said channels to facilitate the application of a horizontal electric field to the channel organic medium, wherein the organic medium zone between the spaced electrodes has a noncentrosymmetric molecular orientation which is parallel to the direction of an applied horizontal electric field; and c. a second set of spaced electrodes positioned in proximity along the same channel as the first set of electrodes, to facilitate the application of a vertical electric field to the channel organic medium, wherein the organic medium zone between the spaced electrodes has a noncentrosymmetric molecular orientation which is parallel to the direction of an applied vertical electric field.

Claim 3

A waveguide modulator in accordance with claim 1, wherein the organic medium is a blend of a host thermoplastic polymer and a guest organic compound which exhibits nonlinear optical response.

Claim 4

A waveguide modulator in accordance with claim 1, wherein the organic medium is a thermoplastic polymer which exhibits nonlinear optical response.

Claim 5

A thin film interferometric electrooptic waveguide device for polarization-insensitive modulation of light wave amplitude which comprises: a. first and second waveguide channels diverging from a common light input to form co-extensive channels, and reconverging to a common light output, wherein the waveguide channels are composed of a thermoplastic polymer medium which exhibits nonlinear optical response; b. a first set of spaced electrodes positioned in proximity along one of said channels to facilitate the application of a horizontal electric field to the channel polymer medium, wherein the polymer medium zone between the spaced electrodes has a noncentrosymmetric molecular orientation which is parallel to the applied horizontal electric field; c. a second set of spaced electrodes positioned in proximity along the same channel as the first set of electrodes, to facilitate the application of a vertical electric field to the channel polymer medium, wherein the polymer medium zone between the spaced electrodes has a noncentrosymmetric molecular orientation which is parallel to the applied vertical electric field; d. voltage sources for the said sets of electrodes; and e. a coherent optical radiation means for introducing optical radiation into the waveguide device.

Claim 6

A thin film interferometric electrooptic waveguide device for polarization-insensitive modulation of light wave amplitude which comprises: a. first and second waveguide channels diverging from a common light input to form co-extensive channels, and reconverging to a common light output, wherein the waveguide channels are composed of a thermoplastic polymer medium which exhibits nonlinear optical response; b. a first set of spaced electrodes positioned in proximity along one of said channels to facilitate the application of a horizontal electric field to the channel polymer medium, wherein the polymer medium zone between the spaced electrodes has a noncentrosymmetric molecular orientation which is parallel to the applied horizontal electric field; c. a second set of spaced electrodes positioned in proximity along the same channel as the first set of electrodes, to facilitate the application of a vertical electric field to the channel polymer medium, wherein the polymer medium zone between the spaced electrodes has a noncentrosymmetric molecular orientation which is parallel to the applied vertical electric field; d. voltage sources for the said sets of electrodes; and e. a coherent optical radiation means for introducing optical radiation into the waveguide device.

Claim 7

A waveguide device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the device is in further combination with a photodetector means.

Claim 8

A waveguide device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the electromagnetic radiation means is a laser beam generator.

Claim 9

A waveguide device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the channel polymer medium is a polymer with pendant side chains which exhibit nonlinear optical response.

Claim 10

A waveguide device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the channel polymer medium is a polymer with pendant side chains containing a biphenyl structure in conjugation with an electron-donating group and an electron-withdrawing group.

Claim 11

A waveguide device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the channel polymer medium is a polymer with pendant side chains containing a biphenyl structure in conjugation with an amino group and a nitro group.

Claim 12

A waveguide device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the channel polymer medium is a polymer with pendant side chains containing a stilbene structure in conjugation with an electron-donating group and an electron-withdrawing group.

Claim 13

A waveguide device in accordance with claim 4 wherein the channel polymer medium is a polymer with pendant side chains containing a stilbene structure in conjugation with an amino group and a nitro group.

Claim 14

A process for fabricating a Mach-Zehnder interferometric electrooptic waveguide device which comprises: (1) forming a transparent optical waveguiding thin film on a supporting substrate, wherein the thin film comprises an organic medium which exhibits nonlinear optical response, and the thin film has a configuration of first and second waveguide channels diverging from a common light input junction to form co-extensive light paths, and reconverging to a common light output junction; (2) positioning a first set of spaced electrodes in proximity along one of said channel light paths to facilitate the application of a horizontal electric field to the channel organic medium; (3) positioning a second set of spaced electrodes in proximity along the same channel light path as the first set of electrodes to facilitate the application of a vertical electric field to the channel organic medium; (4) heating the thin film to mobilize the channel polymer molecules; (5) applying voltage to the respective sets of electrodes to form electric fields, wherein the first set of electrodes induces a noncentrosymmetric orientation of polymer molecules parallel to the direction of the applied horizontal electric field, and the second set of electrodes induces a noncentrosymmetric orientation of polymer molecules parallel to the direction of the applied vertical electric field; and (6) cooling the thin film while maintaining the applied electric fields, and thereby providing two stable electric field-induced zones of polymer molecular orientation which exhibit second order nonlinear optical response.

Claim 15

A process for fabricating a Mach-Zehnder interferometric electrooptic waveguide device which comprises: (1) forming a transparent optical waveguiding thin film on a supporting substrate, wherein the thin film comprises an organic medium which exhibits nonlinear optical response, and the thin film has a configuration of first and second waveguide channels diverging from a common light input junction to form co-extensive light paths, and reconverging to a common light output junction; (2) positioning a first set of spaced electrodes in proximity along one of said channel light paths to facilitate the application of a horizontal electric field to the channel organic medium; (3) positioning a second set of spaced electrodes in proximity along the same channel light path as the first set of electrodes to facilitate the application of a vertical electric field to the channel organic medium; (4) heating the thin film to mobilize the channel polymer molecules; (5) applying voltage to the respective sets of electrodes to form electric fields, wherein the first set of electrodes induces a noncentrosymmetric orientation of polymer molecules parallel to the direction of the applied horizontal electric field, and the second set of electrodes induces a noncentrosymmetric orientation of polymer molecules parallel to the direction of the applied vertical electric field; and (6) cooling the thin film while maintaining the applied electric fields, and thereby providing two stable electric field-induced zones of polymer molecular orientation which exhibit second order nonlinear optical response.

Claim 16

A process in accordance with claim 12 wherein the organic medium is a blend of a host thermoplastic polymer and a guest organic compound which exhibits nonlinear optical response.

Claim 17

A process in accordance with claim 12 wherein the organic medium is a thermoplastic polymer which exhibits nonlinear optical response.

Claim 18

A process in accordance with claim 12 wherein the organic medium is a thermoplastic polymer with pendant side chains which exhibit nonlinear optical response.

Claim 19

A process in accordance with claim 12 wherein the organic medium is a thermoplastic polymer with pendant side chains containing a biphenyl structure in conjugation with an electron-donating group and an electron-withdrawing group.

Claim 20

A process in accordance with claim 12 wherein the organic medium is a thermoplastic polymer with pendant side chains containing a stilbene structure in conjugation with an electron-donating group and an electron-withdrawing group.

Claim 21

A polarization-insensitive waveguide device produced in accordance with the process of claim 12.

Claim 22

A method of modulating electromagnetic radiation which comprises: (1) introducing an optical beam of arbitrary polarization into a polarization-insensitive waveguide device in accordance with claim 18; (2) applying modulating voltage to the respective sets of electrodes to produce the same phase modulation for the transverse electric mode and the transverse magnetic mode of waveguided optical radiation; and (3) transmitting the modulated optical radiation to a photodetector means; wherein the light intensity of the transmitted optical radiation varies as a function of the phase shift between the two interferometric waveguiding channels of the device.

Claim 23

A method in accordance with claim 19 wherein the optical radiation is a laser beam.

Claim 24

A method in accordance with claim 19 wherein the thin film organic medium is a thermoplastic polymer with pendant side chains which exhibit nonlinear optical response.

Claim 25

A method in accordance with claim 19 wherein the thin film organic medium is a thermoplastic polymer with pendant side chains containing a biphenyl structure in conjugation with an electron-donating group and an electron-withdrawing group.

Claim 26

A method in accordance with claim 19 wherein the thin film organic medium is a thermoplastic polymer with pendant side chains containing a stilbene structure in conjugation with an electron-donating group and an electron-withdrawing group.