Linear electro-optic effect in cubic silicon carbide

We report the first observation of the electro-optic effect of cubic silicon carbide (β-SiC) grown by a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition reactor using the hydrogen, silane, and propane gas system. At a wavelength of 633 nm, the value of the electro-optic coefficient r41 in β-SiC is determined to be 2.7±0.5×10−12 m/V, which is 1.7 times larger than that in gallium arsenide measured at 10.6 μm. Also a half-wave voltage of 6.4 kV for β-SiC is obtained. Because of this favorable value of electro-optic coefficient we believe that silicon carbide may be a promising candidate in electro-optic applications for high optical intensity in the visible region.