Electrooptical Effects, Crystals and Devices

Abstract

The propagation of light through an electrooptical crystal is described on basis of a phenomenological theory. Some physical aspects determining the magnitude of electrooptic effects are given and different experimental methods for measuring these effects are discussed. As representative examples of important electrooptical materials LiNbO3, tetragonal bronzes, perovskites, KDP, and semiconductors with sphalerite structure are characterized with respect to crystal growth, preparation techniques and dielectric properties. The magnitude of their electrooptic coefficients is critically reviewed. Underlying ideas of different types of modulators and recent progress in fabrication of devices are discussed. These include bulk modulators, deflectors, and lumped and traveling wave modulators made from waveguides. Finally electrooptic bistability and the photorefractive effect which is the basis of holographic storage are explained. The present review may serve as an introduction to electrooptic effects, as a documentation of special applications of crystals and as a guide to the different scientific fields involved in this important branch of “high technology”.KeywordsQuantum ElectronTransversal MagneticTotal Internal ReflectionTransversal ElectricSpatial Light ModulatorThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.