Abstract

Organic second-order nonlinear optical materials are very attractive candidates for future high-speed optical switches and modulators with bandwidths beyond 100 GHz, since their inorganic counterpart electro-optic materials like LiNbO₃, as well as silicon modulators based on free-carrier effect have already approached their intrinsic bandwidth limits. Compared to the more widely studied poled polymers, organic electro-optic crystals present important advantages due to their stable molecular orientation and superior photochemical stability [1]. However, thin-film processing possibilities of crystals are usually limited with respect to polymers, and therefore only few examples of integrated optical devices based on organic crystals have been reported up to now [2].

© 2009 IEEE