Polarization independent electro-optically induced waveguide

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9989788-B2
Application number	US-201615240608-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2016
Priority date	Feb 18, 2014
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

The invention provides an electro-optically induced waveguide including:
a waveguide layer stack having a core layer including an electro-optic material for guiding light waves; and a field generator for generating an electrical field in the core layer, wherein the field generator includes an electrode arrangement having a plurality of electrodes and a voltage supply arrangement for supplying at least two potentials to the electrode arrangement; wherein the field generator is configured to induce an electro-optic effect by the generated electrical field in a first cross sectional region of the core layer such that a propagation of transverse-electric polarized light waves is enabled in the first cross sectional region; wherein the field generator is configured to induce an electro-optic effect by the generated electrical field in a second cross sectional region of the core layer such that a propagation of transverse-magnetic polarized light waves is enabled in the second cross sectional region; and wherein the first cross sectional region and the second cross sectional region are overlapping in a cross sectional view.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electro-optically induced waveguide comprising:
a waveguide layer stack comprising a core layer comprising an electro-optic material for guiding light waves; and
a field generator for generating an electrical field in the core layer, wherein the field generator comprises an electrode arrangement comprising a plurality of electrodes and a voltage supply arrangement for supplying at least two potentials to the electrode arrangement;
wherein the field generator is configured to induce an electro-optic effect by the generated electrical field in a first cross sectional region of the core layer such that a propagation of transverse-electric polarized light waves is enabled in the first cross sectional region;
wherein the field generator is configured to induce an electro-optic effect by the generated electrical field in a second cross sectional region of the core layer such that a propagation of transverse-magnetic polarized light waves is enabled in the second cross sectional region;
wherein the field generator is configured in such way that the coupling efficiency for of transverse-electric polarized light waves and the coupling efficiency for transverse-magnetic polarized light waves are equivalent; and
wherein the first cross sectional region and the second cross sectional region are overlapping in a cross sectional view.

2. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 , wherein field generator is configured in such way that in a cross sectional view the electrical field in a first cross sectional area of the core layer is orientated transverse to the waveguide layer stack, that the electrical field in a second cross sectional area of the core layer located in a first direction parallel to the waveguide layer stacks is orientated along the waveguide layer stack and that the electrical field in a third cross sectional area of the core layer located in a second direction opposite to the first direction and parallel to the waveguide layer stack is orientated along the waveguide layer stack.

3. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 , wherein one or more electrodes of the plurality of electrodes are transparent electrodes, wherein one or more of the transparent electrodes are arranged directly adjacent to the core layer and/or one or more of the transparent electrodes are arranged within the core layer.

4. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 , wherein one or more electrodes of the plurality of electrodes are planar and arranged parallel to the core layer.

5. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 , wherein in a cross sectional view the electrodes are arranged symmetrically with respect to an axis perpendicular to the core layer.

6. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 , wherein in a cross sectional view all electrodes are arranged on the same side of the core layer.

7. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 , wherein in a cross sectional view the electrodes are arranged symmetrically with respect to an axis parallel to the core layer.

8. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode arrangement comprises a group of three electrodes of said electrodes arranged in one layer, wherein a first potential of said potentials is applied to the one electrode of said three electrodes arranged in the middle and a second potential of said potentials is applied to the other two electrodes of the group.

9. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode arrangement comprises at least two electrodes of said electrodes arranged in different layers on the same side of the core layer, wherein the electrode facing away from the core layer comprises in a cross sectional view a larger extension in at least one direction parallel to the core layer than the electrode facing towards the core layer.

10. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode arrangement comprises at least two electrodes of said electrodes arranged in different layers on a first side of the core layer and at least two electrodes of said electrodes arranged in different layers on a second opposite side of the core layer, wherein the electrode facing away from the core layer comprise in a cross sectional view a larger extension in at least one direction parallel to the core layer than the electrode facing towards the core layer.

11. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode arrangement comprises a group of three electrodes of said electrodes, wherein each of the electrodes of the group is supplied with one of said potentials, wherein at least two of the potentials of the electrodes of the group are controllable, wherein a coupling efficiency for transverse-electric polarized light waves is a function of the two potentials and a coupling efficiency for transverse-magnetic polarized light waves is a function of the two potentials different from the function for the transverse-electric polarized light waves.

12. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 , wherein the core layer comprises thermotropic liquid crystals in their mesogenic state, thermotropic liquid crystals in their isotropic phase and their mixtures, polymer stabilized liquid crystals, cholesteric liquid crystals; crystals, ceramics and optoceramics, poled electro-optical polymers, side-chain polymers, and/or optically isotropic liquids.

13. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 , wherein the waveguide layer stack comprises a first cladding layer and a second cladding layer, wherein the core layer is arranged between the first cladding layer and the second cladding layer.

14. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 13 , wherein the core layer comprises a refractive index equal or higher than the first cladding layer and/or the second cladding layer.

15. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 13 , wherein the first cladding layer and/or the second cladding layer comprise an electro-optical material.

16. The electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 13 , wherein the first cladding layer and/or the second cladding layer comprise thermotropic liquid crystals in their mesogenic state, thermotropic liquid crystals in their isotropic phase and their mixtures, polymer stabilized liquid crystals, cholesteric liquid crystals; crystals, ceramics and optoceramics, poled electro-optical polymers, side-chain polymers, and/or optically isotropic liquids.

17. An electro-optical device for optical telecommunication, fiber-optic sensor networks and/or spectroscopy, wherein the electro-optical device comprises an electro-optically induced waveguide according to claim 1 .

18. An electro-optical device for optical telecommunication, fiber-optic sensor networks and/or spectroscopy according to claim 17 , wherein the electro-optical device is a polarization independent n×m switch, wherein at least one input path comprises a first waveguide according to claim 1 and wherein at least one output path comprises a further waveguide according to claim 1 .

19. The electro-optically induced waveguide of claim 1 , wherein the core layer propagates no light in the absence of the generated electrical field.

Assignees

• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Blasl Martin
• Costache Florenta
• Hartwig Haldor

Classifications

• G02F2203/06

  Polarisation independent · CPC title

• G02F1/035 Primary

  in an optical waveguide structure · CPC title

• G02F1/0316

  Electrodes · CPC title

• G02F1/1326

  Liquid crystal optical waveguides or liquid crystal cells specially adapted for gating or modulating between optical waveguides · CPC title