Category : Optics (components, coatings, instruments and systems) > Optical instrumentation, systems and accessories

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The laser, when coupled with a wideband modulation system, has many applications in data recording. As data recording has progressed, demands for wider recording bandwidths have marked the design of modulators. In this article, we'll consider the design and application of transverse-field electro-optic modulators using the Pockels effect. This effect produces a refractive index change when an electric field is applied to specific classes of crystals.

The electroded crystal may be considered to be a voltage-variable waveplate (Figure 1.) When a voltage is applied, the polarization of the light exiting the crystal changes. This variation in polarization results in intensity modulation downstream from the output polarizer.

The ideal electro-optic material possesses all of the following properties:
• large change in refractive index per volt.
• high optical quality and transmission
• low dielectric constant (low capacitance).
• low dielectric loss tangent (no dielectric heating due to a high-frequency electric field), and no distortions in modulator output from piezoelectric resonances.

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List of all articles in this sub-category Optical instrumentation, systems and accessories

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