Space-switching at 1.55 mu m using thermo-optic tunable polymer waveguide devices

The fabrication technology for integrated thermo-optic (TO) tunable polymer space-switching elements is described. Single space-switching elements like (1*1)-Mach-Zehnder (MZ)-type switches and (2*2)-directional coupler (DC)-type switches are presented. The integration of five (2*2)-DC-type switches forming a (4*4)-matrix-switch is demonstrated. The switches are operated at 1.55 mu m wavelength and show a low electrical power consumption in combination with an excellent response time. Their lack of polarization sensitivity promises a high potential for use in future optical transparent communication systems.