| 摘要 |
<p>A unique waveguide structure is provided in which the waveguide contains individual scattering elements that are capable of being tuned to provide local refractive index variations, e.g., on a micron scale - which is on the order of wavelengths typically used for communication system. According to the invention, the waveguide contains a core region (22), a cladding region (24), and a solid or liquid material (28) having the tunable scattering elements dispersed therein, where the material is disposed within the core (22) and/or cladding (24) regions, and/or on the exterior of the cladding region. Useful scattering elements include, for example, liquid crystals dispersed in a polymer (polymer-dispersed liquid crystals - PDLC) or electrophoretic particles dispersed in a liquid medium. <IMAGE> <IMAGE></p> |
