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Based on the thermo-optic tuning of a polymer waveguide Bragg reflector, we demonstrated a cost-effective tunable wavelength laser for WDM optical communications. The excellent thermo-optic effect of the polymer waveguide enabled direct tuning of the Bragg reflection wavelength by controlling the electrical power on a micro-heater. Wavelength tuning for 32 channels with 0.8 nm wavelength spacing was demonstrated as well as a continuous tuning with wavelength steps of 0.1 nm. To be qualified as a tunable laser for WDM-PON applications, wavelength stability within 0.15 nm was confirmed for an operating temperature range from -10 to 70 degrees C.

Low-loss polymer materials incorporating fluorinated compounds have been utilized for the investigation of various functional optical devices useful for optical communication and optical sensor systems. Since reliability issues concerning the polymer device have been resolved, polymeric waveguide devices have been gradually adopted for commercial application systems. The two most successfully commercialized polymeric integrated optic devices, variable optical attenuators and digital optical switches, are reviewed in this paper. Utilizing unique properties of optical polymers which are not available in other optical materials, novel polymeric optical devices are proposed including widely tunable external cavity lasers and integrated optical current sensors.

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A flexible polymeric Bragg reflector is fabricated for the purpose of demonstrating widely tunable lasers with a compact simple structure. The external feedback of the Bragg reflected light into a superluminescent laser diode produces the lasing of a certain resonance wavelength. The highly elastic polymer device enables the direct tuning of the Bragg wavelength by controlling the imposed strain and provides a much wider tuning range than silica fiber Bragg gratings or thermo-optic tuned polymer devices. Both compressive and tensile strains are applied within the range from -36000 microepsilon to 35000 microepsilon, so as to accomplish the continuous tuning of the Bragg reflection wavelength over a range of up to 100 nm. The external feedback laser with the tunable Bragg reflector exhibits a repetitive wavelength tuning range of 80 nm with a side mode suppression ratio of 35 dB.