Patent ID: 7215851

Claim:
A method of controlling an optical signal propagating along a waveguide, said method comprising: providing a waveguide structure comprising a waveguide core, a cladding, an electrooptic polymer, and a set of control electrodes, wherein said eleotrooptic polymer defines a height dimension h substantially orthogonal to a direction of propagation of said optical signal, said electrooptic polymer is bound on opposite ends of said height dimension h by said waveguide core and said cladding, said electrooptic polymer is configured to define an index of refraction that varies from an un-coupled value n EO to a coupled value n EO ′ under application of a suitable electric field generated by said control electrodes, said coupled index value n EO ′ is greater than said un-coupled refractive index value n EO and an index of refraction n CLAD of said cladding, and said control electrodes, said height dimension h, and said respective refractive indices of said waveguide core, said cladding, and said electrooptic polymer are configured such that an increase in said index of refraction of said polymer to said coupled index value n EO ′ causes a relatively high intensity portion of an optical signal propagating along said waveguide core to couple into said electrooptic polymer, propagate along said electrooptic polymer, and subsequently return to said waveguide core; generating said electric field in said electrooptic polymer by applying a driving voltage to said control electrodes; and controlling said driving voltage such that said index of refraction of said electrooptic polymer reaches said coupled value n EO ′ in a relatively high index region of said electrooptic polymer and a relative high intensity portion of an optical signal propagating along said waveguide core couples into said high index region of said polymer, bounded at one extreme by said cladding, and subsequently returns to said waveguide core.