Abstract

Holographic structures on dielectric waveguides are useful for conventional applications, such as distributed feedback and grating couplers, and for novel applications, such as holographic waveguiding for lateral confinement, dispersion control for nonlinear optics, spectral filtering for pulse shaping, and signal distribution for optical interconnections. We describe techniques for constructing holograms on solgel titania/silica waveguides. Holograms are constructed by photopolymerization in polyvinyl carbazole films¹ placed either on top of the solgel film or between the solgel film and a glass substrate. Because the photoinitiator for hologram formation (carbon tetraiodide) is bleached out during development, gratings in the polymer film are stable and permanent. The advantages of this technology are that structures suitable for a variety of uses may be fabricated relatively easily by placing appropriate dopants in the solgel film and by recording appropriate holograms. As examples, we describe holograms for lateral mode confinement and multiple grating holograms.

© 1991 Optical Society of America