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US 5,414,791 AGranted
Thermally stable electro-optic device and method
AssigneeLockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc.
InventorsSusan P. Ermer, Doris S. Leung, Steven M. Lovejoy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Novel acceptor-donor-acceptor compounds for use in forming a thermally-stable electro-optic waveguide are disclosed. Also disclosed is a thermally stable waveguide material containing thermally stable acceptor-donor-acceptor or donor-acceptor-donor guest dipole compounds in dissolved form in a polyimide matrix. The waveguide has selected regions in which the net dipoles of the guest molecules are oriented, for electro-optic switching when an electric field is placed across these regions.
Claims24
An electro-optic waveguide material comprising
- a polyimide matrix having dissolved therein, guest dipole molecules having one of the general forms:
- ##STR4## where X is O, S, CH.sub.2, or NR, and R is a lower alkyl or substituted lower alkyl group;
- and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are N-substituted carbazole groups, or ##STR5## where Ar is an aromatic fused ring structure having a ring-contained tertiary amine, and R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4 are the same or different and are each selected from the group consisting of H, an alkyl group or substituted alkyl group,
- the guest molecules having net dipole moments, and
- these dipole moments being oriented in regions of the material, such that the index of refraction of said regions can be modulated for optical switching purposes by applying an electric field across the regions.
2 more elements
An electro-optic device comprising
- a substrate,
- formed on the substrate, an elongate electrooptic waveguide having a channel formed of a polyimide matrix and dissolved therein, guest dipole molecules having one of the general forms:
- ##STR8## where X is O, S, NR, or CH.sub.2 ;
- R is a lower alkyl or substituted lower alkyl group;
- and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are N-substituted carbazole groups, or ##STR9## where Ar is an aromatic fused ring structure having a ring-contained tertiary amine, and R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, and R.sub.4 are the same or different and are each selected from the group consisting of H, an alkyl group or substituted alkyl group,
- the guest molecules having net dipole moments,
- said waveguide channel having selected switching regions in which the net dipole moments of the guest molecules are oriented directionally such that the index of refraction of said regions can be modulated for optical switching purposes by applying an electric field across said regions, in a field direction normal to the plane of the waveguide, and
- electrodes positioned on the waveguides, adjacent said selected regions, for use in selectively modulating the index of refraction of the regions by application of an electric field across the two electrodes.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.