Abstract

A variety of mechanisms in semiconductor systems may contribute to the development of an electro-optic effect in waveguide structures,¹ including the bulk linear electro-optic effect, free-carrier effects, and band-edge effects. The inclusion of quantum wells in the active region may also introduce contributions via the quantum-confined Stark effect² (QCSE) and a new effect recently predicted³ in a system of asymmetric coupled quantum wells. In this paper, we report the investigation of these mechanisms in GaAs-GaAIAs single-mode planar waveguides in the low-loss region below the bandgap.

© 1988 Optical Society of America