Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T10:51:43.421Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dynamic Tuning of Optical Waveguides with Electrowetting Pumps

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2011

Francesco Cattaneo ,
Peter Mach ,
Jennifer Hsieh ,
Tom Krupenkin ,
Shu Yang  and
John A. Rogers
Francesco Cattaneo
Affiliation:
Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, NJ 07974, U.S.A.
Peter Mach
Affiliation:
Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, NJ 07974, U.S.A.
Jennifer Hsieh
Affiliation:
Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, NJ 07974, U.S.A.
Tom Krupenkin
Affiliation:
Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, NJ 07974, U.S.A.
Shu Yang
Affiliation:
Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, NJ 07974, U.S.A.
John A. Rogers
Affiliation:
Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, NJ 07974, U.S.A.
Get access

Abstract

This paper reviews some of our recent work on a new class of photonic component that uses electrowetting pumps and microfluidic channels for dynamic tuning of the characteristics of optical waveguides. These pumps exploit the ability to alter the contact angle of conductive liquids situated on top of a dielectric layer with appropriately patterned underlying electrodes. By applying different voltages to opposite sides of a conductive fluid plug, the contact angle imbalance created between the ends of the liquid drives fluid motion toward the higher field regions [1]. In our design, this electrically controlled, fully reversible motion of fluids contained within recirculating channels is used to alter the effective indices of waveguide modes of three different types of optical fiber structures: fiber Bragg and long period gratings and etched or tapered fiber. Our systems operate non-mechanically and have excellent optical performance, including low insertion and polarization-dependent losses. These characteristics suggest a promising potential for electrowetting-based microfluidic tuning of optical fiber devices and other photonic components.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 741: Symposium J – Nano- and Microelectromechanical Systems (NEMS and MEMS) and Molecular Machines , 2002 , J1.4
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Pollack, M. G., Fair, R. B., and Shenderov, A. D., Appl. Phys. Lett. 77, 1725 (2000).Google Scholar
2. Rogers, J. A., Eggleton, B. J., Jackman, R. J., Kowach, G. R., and Strasser, T. A., Opt. Lett. 24, 1328 (1999).Google Scholar
3. Mavoori, H., Jin, S., Espindola, R. P., and Strasser, T. A, Opt. Lett. 24, 714 (1999).Google Scholar
4. Mach, P., Kerbage, C., Dolinski, M., Baldwin, K. W., Windeler, R. S., Eggleton, B. J. and Rogers, J. A., Appl. Phys. Lett. 80, 4294 (2002).Google Scholar
5. Mach, P., Krupenkin, T., Yang, S., and Rogers, JA., Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 202 (2002).Google Scholar
6. Kerbage, C., Windeler, R., Eggleton, B.J., Mach, P., Dolinski, M. and Rogers, J.A., Opt. Comm. 204, 179 (2002).Google Scholar
7. Hsieh, J., Mach, P., Cattaneo, F., Yang, S., Krupenkine, T., Baldwin, K. and Rogers, J.A., IEEE Photon. Techn. Lett. (in press).Google Scholar
8. Mizrahi, V. and Sipe, J. E., J. Lightwave Technol 11, 1513 (1993).Google Scholar
9. Vengsarkar, A. M., Lemaire, P.J., Judkins, J.B., Bhatia, V., Erdogan, T. and Sipe, JE., J. Lightwave Technol. 14, 58 (1996).Google Scholar