Abstract

The functionality of photonic integrated circuits, for example those based on silicon photonics, will benefit significantly if active materials for light generation, detection and modulation can be integrated with otherwise passive structures. For example, electro-optic poled polymers have already shown a great potential in terms of reducing the half-wave voltages and increasing the modulation speed beyond 100 GHz, well beyond the limits of inorganic LiNbO₃ or silicon modulators [1]. Organic electro-optic crystalline materials offer similar benefits as poled polymers with a considerably improved thermal and photochemical stability and do not need complex electric-field poling procedures [2]. An epitaxial-like growth process of organic electro-optic crystals could therefore lead to a novel type of highly efficient, ultrafast and stable hybrid structures for photonics.

© 2011 Optical Society of America