Optical characterization of photopolymer material using λ=532nm and investigation into future use at λ=850nm and λ=1300nm

The propagation of a light beam through a photo-sensitive photopolymer Polyvinyl Alcohol/Acrylamide (PVA/AA), and the creation of self-written waveguides (SWWs), has received much attention. Here we explore the manufacture and characterization of SWWs in PVA/AA for applications at near infrared communication wavelengths 850nm and 1300nm. The SWWs are fabricated using visible light at wavelength 532nm. The insertion and optical loss of the SWWs at different wavelengths will be interrogated. An optical loss and attenuation profile is to be built up for each of the three wavelengths as they propagate down the resulting SWWs.