Latching operation in a tunable wavelength filter using Si sampled grating waveguide with ferroelectric liquid crystal cladding

A tunable wavelength filter fabricated with a latching function is proposed. The proposed tunable wavelength filter consists of a silicon sampled grating waveguide and ferro-electric liquid crystal (FLC) cladding. The sampled grating waveguide in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer achieved narrower stop bands than that with the conventional uniform grating structure. Enhanced wavelength shift was also obtained due to the increased effect in FLC by using a thinner silicon core. Bistable switching operation with the fabricated device, which was latching without state-sustaining power, was successfully demonstrated. Its switching and latching characteristics are also reported.