Improving the Nonlinearity of Silica by Poling at Higher Temperature and Voltage

Thermal poling of silica offers the exciting prospect of achieving, for the first time, low-loss electro-optic switches and modulators in a fiber form, devices that can be fusion spliced to a single mode fiber with negligible loss, unlike any other existing modulator. For this to become possible, both the depth (a few microns) and the nonlinear coefficient (0.5-1 pm/V) of the nonlinear region induced in silica by standard thermal poling must be increased. These objectives may be met by optimizing the glass composition and/or the poling process.