Integrated-optic polarization controllers incorporating polymer waveguide birefringence modulators.
Polarization controllers based on polymer waveguide technology are demonstrated by incorporating thermo-optic birefringence modulators (BMs) and thin-film wave plates. Highly birefringent polymer materials are used to increase the efficiency of birefringence modulation in proportion to the heating power. Thin-film quarter-wave plates are fabricated by using a crosslinkable liquid crystal, reactive mesogen, and inserted between the BMs to produce static phase retardation and polarization coupling. By applying a triangular AC signal to one BM and a DC signal to another, the polarization states of the output light are modulated to cover the entire surface of the Poincaré sphere.
School of Electrical Engineering and Graduate School of Cogno-Mechatronics Engineering, Pusan National University, Pusan, Busan 609-735, South Korea.
Jun-Whee
JW
Kim
Su-Hyun
SH
Park
Woo-Sung
WS
Chu
Min-Cheol
MC
Oh
D001718:Birefringence; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008027:Light; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000295:instrumentation*; D018511:Systems Integration; D013685:Telecommunications / Q000295:instrumentation*
D011108:Polymers