Optical waveguides structured with photoaligning polymers

We present a novel fast fabrication method for making optical waveguides by using a photoaligning and a liquid-crystal polymer. A difference in the refractive indices in the core and cladding regions is achieved by use of polarized UV light to align the polymer chains differently. A refractive-index difference of ?n=0.07 was achieved. The propagation loss in a channel waveguide is 4?dB?cm at a wavelength of 1.55??m. The fabrication method has only a few processing steps and yields short fabrication times. The waveguide structures offer possibilities for generating devices with new applications related to the polarization of the guided light.