Electro–optics is a branch of
electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
,
electronic engineering,
materials science, and
material physics involving components,
electronic devices such as
lasers,
laser diodes,
LEDs,
waveguides, etc. which operate by the propagation and interaction of light with various tailored materials. It is closely related to the branch of
optics, involving application of generation of
photons, called
photonics. It is not only concerned with the "
electro–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. The term encompasses a number of distinct phenomena, which can be subdivided i ...
", since it deals with the interaction between the
electromagnetic (
optical) and the
electrical (
electronic) states of materials.
Electro-optical devices
The
electro-optic effect is a change in the optical properties of an optically active material due to interaction with light. This interaction usually results in a change in the
birefringence
Birefringence is the optical property of a material having a refractive index that depends on the polarization and propagation direction of light. These optically anisotropic materials are said to be birefringent (or birefractive). The birefring ...
, and not simply the refractive index of the medium. In a
Kerr cell, the change in birefringence is proportional to the square of the optical 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 usually a crystal. Non-crystalline, solid electro-optical materials have generated interest because of their low cost of production. These organic, polymer-based materials are also known as organic EO material, plastic EO material, or polymer EO material. They consist of nonlinear optical
chromophores in a polymer lattice. The nonlinear optical chromophores can produce
Pockels effect.
References
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External links
Introduction to Electro-Optical Systems in Unmanned Vehicle Applications - Unmanned Systems Technology
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Atomic, molecular, and optical physics
Optoelectronics
Nonlinear optics