High thermal stability 40 GHz electro-optic polymer modulators

As a consequence of the urgent demand for an electro-optic (EO) polymer modulator with an elevated temperature stability, we have prepared a selection of EO polymers having glass transition temperatures of up to 194°C. The measured half-wave voltage characteristics of the fabricated Mach-Zehnder interference modulators revealed an excellent thermal resistance at 105°C for approximately 2,000 hours. By utilizing traveling-wave electrodes on the modulator, the high-frequency response at 10-40 GHz was evaluated under ascending temperatures. The advantage of such high-temperature stability EO polymer modulators was clearly demonstrated by the continuous frequency response up to 130°C.