Five-channel polymer waveguide wavelength division demultiplexer for the near infrared

Abstract
A five-channel wavelength division demultiplexer (WDDM) fabricated in polymer gelatin waveguides and operating over a 100-nm bandwidth centered at 770 nm in the near infrared is discussed. The device has a maximum diffraction efficiency of 80% at 730 nm, has a spectral bandwidth of 17+or-3 nm per channel, and effectively utilizes a portion of the large optical transparency bandwidth ( approximately 2400 nm) of the photo-lime gelatin polymer material at laser diode wavelengths. High-channel-density WDDM devices at longer infrared wavelengths should be possible.