Characterization of Nonlinear Polymers for High-speed Photonic Response and Nonlinear Dispersion

摘要

High-frequency instrumentation was acquired to perform: (a) high-frequency dielectric measurements on poled electro-active polymers and to determine the stability when exposed to microwave radiation, and (b) electro-optic measurements of the resonant enhancement of nonlinear polymers with demonstrated photochemical stability. In particular, the equipment was used to investigate large-bandwidth, traveling wave polymeric in-line fiber (PILF) modulator that is being co-developed by UC Davis and Optivision. This PILF amplitude modulator consists of a fiber half-coupler substrate evanescently coupled to a multimode electro-optic waveguide. PILF modulators are intrinsically rugged, exhibit low third order intermodulation nonlinearity and can be produced at lower cost than fiber pigtailed modulators. The equipment consisted of a high-frequency probe station, high-frequency amplifier and signal generator, 15 GHz photodetector, low relative intensity noise fiber coupled 1330 nm laser, and a 1064 diode pumped laser. The deviations from the original budget are that the $30K in UC cost sharing was used towards a laser ablation accessory for the probe station (instead of the thermal evaporator), the elimination of the 1550 nm laser source and the purchase with fund remaining a high-frequency signal generator.