All-Optical Controlling Photoisomerized Polymer Waveguide Grating Encoders Based on a Polarization Mode Coupling Modulation Technique

In this work, an on-chip all-optical-controlled waveguide encoder is achieved using a photoisomerized polymer. The reversible transformation properties of the photochromic polymer are characterized by specific UV and visible light regulation. The asymmetric long-period waveguide grating structures are designed and fabricated by metal-printing waveguide technology. A dual-wavelength cooperative encoding approach with static and dynamic operations is proposed. The binary optical digital codes of the device are realized based on the polarization mode coupling modulation technique. The sensitivity for x - and y -polarizations are obtained as about 1 nm/mW. The rising and falling times of the device are 1.76 and 1.92 ms, respectively. The high-integration on-chip all-optical waveguide encoders with a simple fabrication process, low power consumption, and flexible modulating features are suitable for future optical encryption security applications in the future.