DEVICE TYPES AND MOTIVATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT

Electro-optic (E/0) and optical devices based on CPs which are discussed in this chapter can be usefully classified into three categories  

1) Those based on second order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. 

Waveguides, one of the most studied CP applications, fall into categories 1) and 2). 

The driving forces behind the development of E/0 devices based on CPs have been several. The increasing speed of common microprocessors such as those used in 

450 MHz processors not uncommon as of the date of this writing, has created severe demands not on the on-chip processing technology, but rather on the electrical interconnects between chip elements. Typical problems include crosstalk, power dissipation across distances and EMI shielding. Optical interconnections between electrical components, i.e. E/0 interconnects , are one possible solution. Such E/0 interconnects can also be used in telephone and other telecommunication as interfaces between optical fibers. 

---