NSF Award
9960415
This Phase I SBIR proposal seeks to develop a new class of electro-optic (EO) materials that will have better properties and achieve higher transmission rates. Many optical devices that use EO materials in their designs, e.g. tunable optical filters, spatial light modulators (SLMs), EO shutters, and beam deflectors, have recently received tremendous attentions due to their potential applications in telecommunication, laser countermeasure, and integrated optics. However, these applications have been limited by the availability of materials with high EO coefficient. The high EO coefficient is required to ensure: (1) the large index change needed to lower the operation voltage; (2) the polarization-insensitive light interaction required for coupling with optical fibers; and ( 3) the high mechanical performance needed for high frequency and heavy load operations. Optoceramics are some of the better EO materials due to their large quadratic EO effect, optical isotropy, and cost effective fabrication process. Studies on using lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate (PLZT) are well known. They are the only optoceramics commercially available, in device applications. There are known difficulties with these materials. They include insufficient EO effect, poor temperature stability, and low mechanical toughness. NZ Applied Technologies proposes to search for new material systems in the relaxor ferroelectric PMN-PT and PZN-PT families. These new systems have shown engineerable ferroelectric behavior and very large room-temperature dielectric constants, which are theoretically predicted to have much better EO performance, and improved mechanical strengths.<br/><br/>Success in the Phase I effort will identify the possible new electro-optic optoceramics systems. The military and civilian applications are diverse, and include light modulators,<br/>beam deflectors, and optical switches.
