Optical phased arrays are promising candidates for both RF signal processing and optical beam forming and steering.
These platforms not only enable accurate electrically controlled beam steering at high frequencies but also have the
potential to significantly improve the performance of future free-space optical communications systems. In this work we
exploit recent advancements in both nano-scale hybrid silicon-slot waveguides and electro-optic (EO) polymers to
demonstrate an integrated optical phased-array antenna. Specifically, we create a hybrid integrated "photonic circuit"
that connects an array of optical phase modulators, fed by a common optical signal and a 1x4 splitter, to a compact
optical waveguide diffraction array for optical beam steering applications. The fundamental characteristics of the
resulting integrated optical beam former, including the optical insertion loss, driving voltage, and phase control from the
waveguide aperture are summarized in this letter.
A novel broadband E-field sensor based on electro-optic polymer micro-ring resonator directly coupled to the core of optical fiber is proposed and demonstrated. A flat is made on the side of the optical fiber by polishing and an electro-optic polymer waveguide in the shape of a ring is placed on the polished flat. One side of the ring is directly above the core of the fiber and light is evanescently coupled between the fiber and the micro-ring. External electric fields change the index of refraction of the ring resonator and therefore its resonant wavelengths. The sensor is all dielectric without metal layers to distort the measured E-field. The resonance structure allows the sensor to potentially have much higher sensitivity than other electro-optic sensors based on interferometry or polarization modulation. Since electro-optic polymers have higher electro-optic coefficients, lower dielectric constants and faster electro-optic responses than inorganic crystals, higher sensitivity, lower invasiveness and higher bandwidth of E-field sensing can be expected. The sensor with EO polymer micro-ring directly coupled to side-polished fiber eliminates unreliable and possibly lossy fiber to waveguide butt coupling as well as the high propagation loss which comes from the long straight EO polymer waveguides. Unlike devices based on waveguide technology, a supporting substrate is not necessary in this device. This leads to sensors of small size and low disturbance to the measured electric field. In the proof-of-concept experiment, a sensitivity of 100 mV/m has been achieved at frequencies up to 550 MHz (limited by the measurement system) using
AJLS103 electro-optic polymer.
Systematic development of electro-optic (EO) polymers is leading to optical and material properties such that they present an increasingly viable alternative to crystalline-based technologies for integrated optics. EO polymers demonstrate an inherent velocity match between radio-frequency and optical waves, making them excellent candidates for applications in high-speed telecommunication switching and optical interconnects for VLSI circuitry. In addition, EO polymer devices are relatively simple to fabricate at conditions compatible with microelectronics industry processes, making same-substrate integration of optical and electronic circuitry possible. In this paper, we describe two vertical integration schemes whereby a polymer-based electro-optic modulator may be controlled by metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) circuitry. One scheme described is an insitu integration on the same silicon (Si) substrate. The second scheme is the integration of a modulator built on a flexible substrate with a MOSFET circuit on a second Si substrate. Both schemes have potential applications for integrated electro-optics.
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