Poling-induced birefringence in OEO materials under nanoscale confinement

Standard models for evaluating the electro-optic (EO) response of organic materials typically assume that the refractive index of the material in the absence of a RF modulation field is isotropic and homogeneous. Such assumptions work very well for low-concentration guest-host materials in bulk devices. However, current generation organic EO materials at high densities and under nanoscale confinement can show sufficient birefringence to affect device performance. We use computer simulations and spectroscopic experiments to characterize and predict changes in the index of refraction under poling. We also demonstrate that poling-induced birefringence can lead to a non-linear relationship between the apparent EO coefficient and poling field strength.