Condition for the realization of a temperature-insensitive long-period waveguide grating

We analyze the condition for achieving a temperature-insensitive resonance wavelength of a long-period grating formed in a channel waveguide. We find that by controlling the waveguide cladding thickness, zero temperature sensitivity can be achieved with core and cladding materials that have significantly different thermo-optic coefficients. To verify our finding, we design a polymer long-period waveguide grating (LPWG) according to the zero-sensitivity condition, where the thermo-optic coefficient of the core is twice that of the cladding. The temperature sensitivity of the fabricated grating is within ±0.15nm/°C over a temperature range of ∼15°C, which is more than an order of magnitude lower than those of previously reported LPWGs fabricated with the same materials. © 2006 Optical Society of America.