Electro-optic effects of PLZT thin films

Abstract

It is demonstrated that thin films of PLZT prepared by rf sputtering exhibit an electro-optic effect. The effects are measured using the reflection of the light polarized with the electric vector parallel to the incidence plane of the light. The reflected light intensity changes with the electric field and shows a decrease of about 33% at 12.5 kV/cm, when the light is incident at 70°. This technique turns out to be useful for the measurements of the electro-optic effects of thin films, and the results suggest the possibility of a reflection-type light modulator consisting of a thin film.