Polymer and Hybrid Optical Devices Manipulated by the Thermo-Optic Effect

Abstract

The thermo-optic effect is a crucial driving mechanism for optical devices. The application of the thermo-optic effect in integrated photonics has received extensive investigation, with continuous progress in the performance and fabrication processes of thermo-optic devices. Due to the high thermo-optic coefficient, polymers have become an excellent candidate for the preparation of high-performance thermo-optic devices. Firstly, this review briefly introduces the principle of the thermo-optic effect and the materials commonly used. In the third section, a brief introduction to the waveguide structure of thermo-optic devices is provided. In addition, three kinds of thermo-optic devices based on polymers, including an optical switch, a variable optical attenuator, and a temperature sensor, are reviewed. In the fourth section, the typical fabrication processes for waveguide devices based on polymers are introduced. Finally, thermo-optic devices play important roles in various applications. Nevertheless, the large-scale integrated applications of polymer-based thermo-optic devices are still worth investigating. Therefore, we propose a future direction for the development of polymers.

Temperature Coefficient of Electronic Polarizability in Thin Polymer Films Deposited on Si and SiO2 Substrates Determined via Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

“…In the case of optical polymers, e.g., polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), polystyrene (PS) or polyolefins such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), when used as optical elements, the thermo-optical effect may be perceived as unfavorable. However, in sensor applications exploiting this phenomenon, it is advantageous [17].…”

Comparative Investigation of Ultrafast Excited-State Electron Transfer in Both Polyfluorene-Graphene Carboxylate and Polyfluorene-DCB Interfaces

“…Conjugated polymers are attractive for many applications such as solar cell applications [1,2], optical devices [3], chemical sensors [4] and biological sensors [5,6], due to their unique properties. Among the developing conjugated polymers, conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) containing a conjugated main chain and side chains with various functional groups have been intensively investigated [7,8].…”

Polymer-Embedding Germanium Nanostrip Waveguide of High Polarization Extinction

“…On the other hand, polymer waveguide technology has matured and become an excellent platform for high-performance photonic devices [21][22][23], thanks not only to the degree of freedom in molecular engineering and chemical process control [24,25] but also the compatibility to integrate components from other material platforms [26,27]. This flexible feature allows other inorganic materials to be embedded in the polymer as the key optically functional layer, e.g., metals, dielectrics, and semiconductor thin films.…”

“…Moreover, the fabrication technology for polymer waveguide devices is relatively simple, and the optical loss can be suppressed at customized wavelength windows. The polymer material exhibits good thermal tunability [21] and has hence led to a series of novel functional devices, including tuneable external-cavity lasers [28], optical phased arrays [29], thermooptic switches [30], and chip-level optical computing devices [31].…”