Crosstalk-minimized polymeric 2/spl times/2 thermooptic switch

A thermooptic 2/spl times/2 switch based on the total internal reflection effect is demonstrated. The device, made of ultraviolet curable fluorinated polymer, has an increased half-branch angle of 5/spl deg/. The purpose of a large half-branch angle is to overcome the volume relaxation phenomenon, which is an intrinsic characteristic of polymers. The device successfully decreases the crosstalk below -40 dB in both the cross and bar states. The fabricated device has a power consumption of only 66 mW in the bar state.