TM-pass polarizer based on a photobleaching-induced waveguide in polymers

An integrated optical TM-pass polarizer was fabricated by utilizing a photobleaching-induced birefringence in polymers. The polarizer is implemented by integrating a photobleached waveguide supporting only the TM mode between input and output etched rib waveguides supporting both TE and TM modes. The photobleaching has been controlled to reduce the excess loss by closely matching the mode profiles of the waveguides. The measured polarization extinction ratio is 25 dB, and the excess loss is about 0.4 dB at the wavelength of 1.31 μm.