Polarization independent polymer waveguide tunable receivers incorporating a micro-optic circulator

Abstract

In order to simplify the receiver configuration in a wavelength division multiplexed optical fiber network, compact wavelength tunable filters have long been expected to be used as channel selectors. Bragg reflector inherently has the most suitable reflection spectrum for filtering a single wavelength from the densely multiplexed wavelength signal. Polymer has high thermo-optic coefficient and good thermal insulation property compared to the other optical waveguide materials such as silicon and silica materials. This can be used to broadly tune the reflection spectrum of Bragg reflector using a simple micro-heater. In this work, a micro-optic circulator component and a polymeric Bragg reflector device are assembled to produce a small form factor tunable receiver. Compared to the integrated-optical versions, the micro-optics are based on well-developed manufacturing processes and can achieve competitive production yields. The device exhibits high reflectivity with a flat top passband, and a polarization dependence of 0.06 nm achieved by virtue of the low birefringence of LFR polymer, which make a significant contribution to the implementation of polarization independent tunable receiver. The wavelength tuning range of 40 nm is demonstrated by using a bottom located heater with a groove for heat isolation.