title: Planar waveguide tilted Bragg grating refractometer fabricated through physical micromachining and direct UV writing.
abstract: A set of rapid prototyping techniques are combined to construct a laterally-tilted Bragg grating refractometer in a novel planar geometry. The tilted Bragg grating is fabricated in a silica-on-silicon planar substrate using a dual beam direct UV writing (DUW) technique. Lateral cladding mode confinement is subsequently achieved by physically micromachining two trenches either side of the direct UV written waveguide. The resulting device is demonstrated as an effective refractometer, displaying a comparable sensitivity to tilted Bragg gratings in a fiber optical geometry, but with the added advantages of planar integration.
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK. chh@orc.soton.ac.uk
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Lewis G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Carpenter
authors.forename: Helen L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Ian J G
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Sparrow
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Gates
authors.forename: Peter G R
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D008420:Manufactured Materials; D055616:Microtechnology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D012825:Silicon