Poling-induced waveguide polarizers in electrooptic polymers

Abstract

In order to demonstrate polymeric waveguide polarizers, photobleached polymer waveguides supporting both TE and TM modes are integrated with poling induced polymer waveguides that support either TE or TM modes, Fabrication parameters like UV exposures and poling voltages are controlled to reduce excess losses due to the mode profile mismatch between the connected waveguides, A TM-pass polarizer is realized by poling the polymer in the vertical direction, For TE-pass polarizer the polymer is poled horizontally by using four poling electrodes which enhance the uniformity of the poling field direction, The measured excess loss is less than 0.5 dB, and polarization extinction ratios for TM-pass and TE-pass polarizers are 20.7 dB and 17.1 dB, respectively.