Thermally stable electro-optic device and method
AssigneeLockhead Missiles & Space Company, Inc.
InventorsSusan P. Ermer, Doris S. Y. Leung, Steven M. Lovejoy
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Abstract
Novel acceptor-donor-acceptor and donor-acceptor-donor compound 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 a temperature-resistant polymer 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.
Claims29
A heat-stable electro-optic waveguide material comprising guest dipole subunits having a structure selected from the group consisting of:
- ##STR6## wherein X is O, S, CH.sub.2, or NR, where R is a lower alkyl group;
- Y.sub.1, Y.sub.2, Y.sub.3 and Y.sub.4 are separately H, OH, or OL where L is a polymer linker subunit, and at least one of Y.sub.1 and Y.sub.2 is OL;
- and m, n, o and p are separately integers from 2 to 7.
An electro-optic waveguide material comprising
- a heat-stable polymer matrix having dissolved therein, guest dipole molecules having one of the general forms:
- ##STR7## wherein X is O, S, CH.sub.2, or NR, where R is a lower alkyl group;
- Y.sub.1, Y.sub.2, Y.sub.3 and Y.sub.4 are separately H or OH;
- and m, n, o and p are separately integers from 2 to 7;
- or Y.sub.1 and Y.sub.3 taken together are --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, forming a cyclic amine wherein the sum of m+o is an integer from 0 to 2, and Y.sub.2 and Y.sub.4 taken together are --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --, forming a cyclic amine wherein the sum of n+p is an integer from 0 to 2;
- or ##STR8## wherein 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 which are 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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.