Fabrication of a novel electro-optical intensity modulator from the conjugated polymer, poly(2,5-dimethoxy-<i>p</i>-phenylene vinylene)

We report an electro-optic absorption modulator based around a metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor structure in which the active semiconductor is the polymer poly(2,5-dimethoxy-p-phenylene vinylene). It incorporates a single optical waveguide formed by the polymer, insulator, and a polyimide top layer which is ribbed to define the guide laterally. Charge injection creates polaron and bipolaron states which change the subgap absorption between 2 and 1.4 μm and between 800 nm and the band edge at 600 nm.