A new generation of previously unrealizable photonic devices as enabled by a unique electro-optic waveguide architecture

Scott R. Davis; Scott D. Rommel; George Farca; Michael H. Anderson

doi:10.1117/12.793130

27 August 2008 A new generation of previously unrealizable photonic devices as enabled by a unique electro-optic waveguide architecture

Scott R. Davis, Scott D. Rommel, George Farca, Michael H. Anderson

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7050, Liquid Crystals XII; 705005 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.793130
Event: Photonic Devices + Applications, 2008, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

A new electro-optic waveguide platform, which provides unprecedented electro-optical phase delays (> 1mm), with very low loss (< 0.5 dB/cm) and rapid response time (sub millisecond), is presented. This technology, developed by Vescent Photonics, is based upon a unique liquid-crystal waveguide geometry, which exploits the tremendous electro-optic response of liquid crystals while circumventing historic limitations of liquid crystals. The exceedingly large optical phase delays accessible with this technology enable the design and construction of a new class of previously unrealizable photonic devices. Examples include: a 1-D non-mechanical, analog beamsteerer with an 80° field of regard, a chip-scale widely tunable laser, a chip-scale Fourier transform spectrometer (< 5 nm resolution demonstrated), widely tunable micro-ring resonators, tunable lenses, ultra-low power (< 5 microWatts) optical switches, true optical time delay (up to 10 ns), and many more. All of these devices may benefit from established manufacturing technologies and ultimately may be as inexpensive as a calculator display. Furthermore, this new integrated photonic architecture has applications in a wide array of commercial and defense markets including: remote sensing, micro-LADAR, OCT, laser illumination, phased array radar, optical communications, etc. Performance attributes of several example devices are presented.

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Scott R. Davis, Scott D. Rommel, George Farca, and Michael H. Anderson "A new generation of previously unrealizable photonic devices as enabled by a unique electro-optic waveguide architecture", Proc. SPIE 7050, Liquid Crystals XII, 705005 (27 August 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.793130

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