Tunable interferometers on a flexible polymer chip

TL;DR

This paper presents a flexible polymer waveguide platform with tunable interferometers capable of stable, polarization-insensitive operation across visible and near-infrared wavelengths, enabling reconfigurable optical circuits for photonic quantum walks.

Contribution

It introduces a novel elastic polymer waveguide platform with tunable interferometers for large-scale, reconfigurable photonic circuits, advancing flexible quantum photonics.

Findings

Demonstrated stable interferometer operation over various phases and reflectivities

Achieved polarization-insensitive single-mode guiding across broad wavelengths

Showcased potential for large, reconfigurable optical circuits

Abstract

To facilitate the implementation of large scale photonic quantum walks, we have developed a polymer waveguide platform capable of robust, polarization insensitive single mode guiding over a broad range of visible and near- infrared wavelengths. These devices have considerable elasticity, which we exploit to enable tuning of optical behaviour by precise mechanical deformations. In this work, we investigate pairs of beamsplitters arranged as interferometers. These systems demonstrate stable operation over a wide range of phases and reflectivities. We discuss device performance, and present an outlook on flexible polymer chips supporting large, reconfigurable optical circuits.