Abstract

An electrically switchable Bragg grating (ESBG) recorded in a holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (HPDLC) consists of alternatively periodic LC and fonned polymer layers.1 A number of its photonic applications have been suggested so far. These include adjustable optical elements, flat panel displays, optical telecom switches/filters and tunable photonic crystals. ESBGs with large refractive index changes An, low scattering loss and low switching threshold voltages are usually desired for these applications. Recently, readout-temperature dependences of first- and higher-order diffraction signal powers from ESBGs were investigated to clarify the origin of the optical anisotropy and a temperature dependence of fixed ESBGs.2 In this paper we report on recording- and readout-temperature dependences of the ESBG’s optical anisotropy and associated incoherent and coherent scattering. Recording- and readout-temperature dependences of the electrical switching characteristics are also described.

© 2007 IEEE