Optimized design and fabrication of nanosecond response electro optic switch based on ultraviolet-curable polymers

• 作者: 刘通 孙健 孙小强 岳远斌 张大明 王希斌 赵旭亮 陈长鸣
• 来源期刊: 中国物理B（英文版）
• 关键词: electro-optic switch optical transmission loss inverted-rib waveguide poled polymers
• 年，卷（期）: 2015,（4）
• 页码范围: 044101-1-044101-9
• 页数: 1页
• 语种: 英文
• DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/24/4/044101

摘要

A nanosecond response waveguide electro-optic (EO) switch based on ultraviolet (UV) sensitive polymers of Norland optical adhesive (NOA73) and Dispersed Red 1 (DR1) doped SU-8 (DR1/SU-8) is designed and fabricated. The absorption properties, refractive indexes, and surface morphologies of NOA73 film are characterized. The single-mode transmission condition is computed by the effective index method, and the percentage of optical field distributed in EO layer is optimized to be 93.78%. By means of spin-coating, thermal evaporation, photolithography, and inductively coupled plasma etching, a Mach–Zehnder inverted-rib waveguide EO switch with micro-strip line electrode is fabricated on a silicon substrate. Scanning electron microscope characterization proves the physic-chemical compatibility between NOA73 cladding and DR1/SU-8 core material. The optical transmission loss of the fabricated switch is measured to be 2.5 dB/cm. The rise time and fall time of switching are 3.199 ns and 2.559 ns, respectively. These results indicate that the inverted-rib wave-guide based on UV-curable polymers can effectively reduce the optical transmission loss and improve the time response performance of an EO switch.