Fluorinated photopolymer thermo-optic switch arrays with dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguide structure

Novel polymer thermo-optic switch arrays were successfully designed and fabricated based on dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguide (DLSPPW) structure. Highly fluorinated low-loss photopolymers and organic-inorganic grafting materials were used as the waveguide core and cladding, respectively. The low absorption loss characteristics and excellent thermal stabilities of the core and cladding materials were obtained. The proposed DLSPPW model was included of fluorinated polymer ridge with 4 x 4 mu m(2) size loaded on 60-nm thin gold stripe electrode heaters, organic-inorganic grafting material cladding and PMMA substrate. The operation of the device at signal wavelengths is controlled via the thermo-optic effect by electrically heating the gold stripes of dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguides. The optimized structural properties of dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguides were provided. The propagation loss of a 4-mu m wide straight DLSPPW was measured as 0.55 dB/cm at 1550 nm wavelength. The insertion loss of the device was measured to be about 4.5 dB. The switching rise and fall time of the device applied by 200 Hz square-wave voltage were obtained as 287.5 mu s and 370.2 mu s, respectively. The switching power was about 5.6 mW, and the extinction ratio was about 13.5 dB. The flexible low-loss multi-functional waveguide switch arrays are suitable for realizing large-scale optoelectronic integrated circuits. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America