Material selection for electrooptic deflectors

Abstract

The selection of a material for a practical device is generally guided by a number of criteria, including cost, size, difficulty of fabrication, durability, driver requirements, and system constraints. A quantitative analysis can usually be made for comparison, or a figure of merit can be computed. In the case of materials for electrooptical (EO) devices the choice is often made based on the availability of materials meeting some minimum system requirement. For fast EO deflectors, where a large number of resolvable spots is required, the choice of materials is quite limited. A model of just such a device is proposed; it is based on the resolution of 400 spots and reasonable boundary conditions. The model predicts that to be successful, an EO material must be chosen that has a linear EO coefficient (r/sub 33/) of at least 336 pm/V. A survey was conducted of the EO materials which are generally available. Based on the model and the survey, Czochralski crystal growth of strontium barium niobate (SBN:60) is recommended. Although SBN:60 does not have the largest EO coefficient, it may be the easiest to grow in the required size and optical quality, thus satisfying the availability criterion. It should be borne in mind that many materials may be grown by this technique and there are many new and potential applications for EO materials. 92 refs., 18 figs., 14 tabs.