Direct laser writing of electro-optic waveguide in chromophore-doped hybrid sol-gel

To overcome the influence of chromophore absorption and degradation in the ultraviolet spectral range for direct photopatterning of electro-optic devices, a blue laser writing technique operating at 405 nm has been used to fabricate electro-optic waveguides from side-chain disperse red-1 doped photosensitive hybrid sol-gel films. The waveguide has good optical confinement and shows an electro-optic coefficient of about 9.0±0.4 pm/V and high temporal stability. The results indicate that the hybrid sol-gel a promising matrix for chromophores, and this technique can find applications in direct patterning of electro-optic devices from nonlinear chromophores-doped photosensitive materials including sol-gels and polymers.