Surface Relief Grating Couplers Using Azobenzene Liquid-Crystalline Polymer Films

Abstract

Input and output grating couplers with a grating period of 1.3 µm were fabricated in an azobenzene liquid-crystalline polymer film by holography. When a He-Ne laser beam at 633 nm was incident to the input grating, the beam was coupled, propagated in the polymer film, and then was taken out from the output grating. The coupling efficiency of the input and output coupler was estimated as about 1.1% in TE mode. Upon irradiation of the film with UV light to cause trans-cis photoisomerization of the azobenzene moiety, the intensity of the output beam was repeatedly changed.

Keywords:

• azobenzene
• grating coupler
• holographic
• optical switch
• waveguide