650-nm All-Polymer Thermo-Optic Waveguide Switch Arrays Based on Novel Organic–Inorganic Grafting PMMA Materials

All-polymer thermo-optic (TO) waveguide switch arrays at 650-nm wavelength based on novel organic–inorganic grafting poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) materials are successfully designed and fabricated. The thermal stability and optical properties of the sol–gel materials are studied. The TO coefficient of organic–inorganic grafting PMMA core material is obtained as
${-}1.65\times 10^{4}~^{\circ}{\rm C}^{-1}$
. The characteristic parameters of the embedded waveguide and arrayed electrode heaters are carefully designed and simulated. The propagation loss of a 4-
$\mu{\rm m}$
wide straight waveguide is 0.85 dB
${\rm cm}^{-1}$
. The M-Z interferometer TO switch on–off time is 600
$\mu{\rm s}$
. The extinction ratio is
${\sim}{\rm 8.2}~{\rm dB}$
and the applied electric power as the switching power is
${\sim}{\rm 22.6}~{\rm mW}$
. The device could have great potential in biomedical applications. The technique could be well suited for polymer optical fiber integrated network systems.