Electro-optics
Encyclopedia
Electro-optics is a branch of technology
involving components, devices and systems which operate by modification of the optical properties of a material by an electric field
. Thus it concerns the interaction between the electromagnetic
(optical
) and the electrical
(electron
ic) states of materials.
relates to a change in the optical properties of the medium which usually is a change in the birefringence
and not simply the refractive index.
In a Kerr cell, the change in birefringence is proportional
to the square of the electric field
, and the material is usually a liquid. In a Pockels cell, the change in birefringence varies linearly with the electric field, and the material is a crystal.
Non-crystalline electro-optic material have caught interested because of their low cost of production. It is polymer-based material, therefore is organic material. It is called sometimes as organic EO material, plastic EO material, or polymer EO material, which consists of a polymer and a nonlinear optical chromophore. Nonlinear optical chromophore is the molecule has Pockel's effect.
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
involving components, devices and systems which operate by modification of the optical properties of a material by an electric field
Electric field
In physics, an electric field surrounds electrically charged particles and time-varying magnetic fields. The electric field depicts the force exerted on other electrically charged objects by the electrically charged particle the field is surrounding...
. Thus it concerns the interaction between the electromagnetic
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental interactions in nature. The other three are the strong interaction, the weak interaction and gravitation...
(optical
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
) and the electrical
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
(electron
Electron
The electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
ic) states of materials.
Electro-optical devices
The electro-optic effectElectro-optic effect
An electro-optic effect is a change in the optical properties of a material in response to an electric field that varies slowly compared with the frequency of light...
relates to a change in the optical properties of the medium which usually is a change in the birefringence
Birefringence
Birefringence, or double refraction, is the decomposition of a ray of light into two rays when it passes through certain anisotropic materials, such as crystals of calcite or boron nitride. The effect was first described by the Danish scientist Rasmus Bartholin in 1669, who saw it in calcite...
and not simply the refractive index.
In a Kerr cell, the change in birefringence is proportional
Proportionality (mathematics)
In mathematics, two variable quantities are proportional if one of them is always the product of the other and a constant quantity, called the coefficient of proportionality or proportionality constant. In other words, are proportional if the ratio \tfrac yx is constant. We also say that one...
to the square of the electric field
Electric field
In physics, an electric field surrounds electrically charged particles and time-varying magnetic fields. The electric field depicts the force exerted on other electrically charged objects by the electrically charged particle the field is surrounding...
, and the material is usually a liquid. In a Pockels cell, the change in birefringence varies linearly with the electric field, and the material is a crystal.
Non-crystalline electro-optic material have caught interested because of their low cost of production. It is polymer-based material, therefore is organic material. It is called sometimes as organic EO material, plastic EO material, or polymer EO material, which consists of a polymer and a nonlinear optical chromophore. Nonlinear optical chromophore is the molecule has Pockel's effect.