Photonics devices based on hybrid approach combining liquid crystals and sol-gel waveguides

In this article, the analysis of both an integrated electro-optic switch and a continuously tunable filter based on a Bragg grating in planar waveguide with a liquid crystal overlayer is reported. The fast and bistable switching of smectic C* in the surface-stabilized liquid crystal structure has been utilized in order to investigate the possibility of realizing an integrated electro-optical switch, whereas the soft-mode of smectic A* liquid crystals, allowing a continuous modulation of extraordinary refractive index, have been utilized in order to design an integrated wavelength filter in the wavelength range of interest for optical communication. Moreover, the performance of an electro-optical router, working at the wavelength of 1.55 mu m and based on the multimode interference effects together with the electro-optic effect of smectic A* liquid crystal, is theoretically and numerically discussed.