Polymer Based Photonics for Space Environment Applications

Polymer Based Photonics for Space Environment ApplicationsEconomical and efficient polymer based photonic (PBP) components such as high bandwidth electro-optic (EO) modulators are required for implementation in next generation high performance sateliites, including small-nano satellites. Satellite systems such assensors, fiber optic data buses, intra satellite links, navigation, tracking and targeting will benefit from using hardened integrated polymer circuits. This Phase I proposal will demonstrate a feasibility concept using electrostatic self-assembly (ESA) tofabricate intrinsically poled and stable EO polymer modulators that can survive in space environments. The Phase I results will be transitioned into a Phase II effort to fabricate unique and advanced radiation resistant, multi-component, integrated opticpolymer circuitry demonstating high bandwidths, low V-pi, low power requirements,low scattering and propagation losses and stability under elevated temperatures. Intrinsically poled NLO polymer materials fabricated by ESA avoids degradation that can beintroduced via electric field poled-high temperature processing of polymers. The ESA approach constrains processing complexity and cost while facilitating simple large scale component integration of photonic circuits.