Polarization-insensitive transition between sol-gel waveguide and electrooptic polymer and intensity modulation for all-optical networks

An intensity modulation using a hybrid electrooptic (EO) polymer/sol-gel straight channel waveguide, useful in the 1550-nm wavelength regime is demonstrated without using Mach-Zehnder interferometric waveguide. The sol-gel waveguide is selectively buried so that a vertical transition into and out of an EO polymer coated on the sol-gel waveguide is arranged. The throughput ratio for transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes of the light coupled out of the hybrid waveguide is improved up to 0.9 dB with the help of reduced birefringence of the EO polymer after corona poling. We show that the fabrication process of such hybrid-type waveguides enables production of a phase modulator operating at 1550-nm wavelength. The fabricated straight channel waveguide modulator exhibits stable- and high-intensity modulation efficiency (82%) using a simple cross-polarization setup after the polarization dependence is reduced. We demonstrate an all wet-etching process to fabricate polymeric EO modulators.