Electrooptic materials Pockels effect

Pockel s effect -for electrooptic materials [CERAMICS - NONLINEAR OPTICAL AND ELECTROOPTIC CERAMICS] (V ol 5) - [NONLINEAROPTICAL MATERIALS] (Vol 17)... 

The applied voltage in effect changes the linear susceptibility and thus the refractive index of the material. This effect, known as the linear electrooptic (LEO) or Pockels effect, modulates light as a function of applied voltage. At the atomic level, the applied voltage is anisotropically distorting the electron density within the material. Thus, application of a voltage to the material causes the optical beam to "see" a different... 

Thus, the applied field, E2, changes the effective linear susceptibility (i.e. the dependence of the polarization on the light field, Eft. Since the linear susceptibility is related to the refractive index, the refractive index of the material is also changed by the applied field. This is known as the linear electrooptic (EO) or Pockels effect and can be used to modulate the polarization or phase of light by changing the applied voltage. 

The second-order NLO properties are of interest for a variety of NLO processes [1-3]. One of the most relevant is the SHG, originated by the mixing of three waves two incident waves with frequency co interact with the molecule or the bulk material with NLO properties, defined by a given value of the quadratic hyperpolarizability, fi, or of the second-order electrical susceptibility, respectively, to produce a new electrical wave, named SH, of frequency 2co. Another important second-order NLO process is the electrooptic Pockels effect which requires the presence of an external d.c. electric field, E(0), in addition to the optical E co) electrical field. This effect produces a change in the refractive index of a material proportional to the applied electric field, and can be exploited in devices such as optical switches and modulators [1-3]. 

Combination with Static Fieids. A common technique, useful for optoelectronic devices, is to combine a monochromatic optical field with a DC or quasistatic field. This combination can lead to refractive index and absorption changes (linear or quadratic electrooptic effects and electroabsorption), or to electric-field induced second-harmonic generation (EFISH or DC-SHG, 2 > = > - - third-order process. In EFISH, the DC field orients the molecular dipole moments to enable or enhance the second-harmonic response of the material to the applied laser frequency. The combination of a DC field component with a single optical field is referred to as the linear electrooptic (Pockels) effect co = co + 0), or the quadratic electrooptic (Kerr) effect ( > = > - - 0 -I- 0). These electrooptic effects are discussed extensively in the article Electrooptical Applications (qv). EFISH is... 

The first observation of natural optical anisotropy was made in 1669 by Bartolinius in calcite crystals, in which light travels at different velocities depending on the direction of propagation relative to the crystal structure. The electrooptic effect, electric-field-induced anisotropy, was first observed in glass in 1875 by J. Kerr. Kerr found a nonlinear dependence of refractive index on applied electric field. The term Kerr effect is used to describe the quadratic electrooptic effect observed in isotropic materials. The linear electrooptic effect was first observed in quartz crystals in 1883 by W. Rontgen and A. Kundt. Pockels broadened the analysis of this relationship in quartz and other crystals, which led to the term Pockels effect to describe linear behavior. In the 1960s several developments... 

Materials for Electrooptic Modulation. The fundamental phenomenon of Pockel s effect is a phase change, A( ), of a light beam in response to a low frequency electric field of voltage, V. Relevant relationships for coUinear electrical and optical field propagation are as foUows (1 6) ... 

---