On chip tunable micro ring resonator actuated by electrowetting

We demonstrate a tunable on chip polymer waveguide micro ring resonator (MRR) device. The transmission spectrum and extinction ratio are controlled by electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD), via the application of voltage to a droplet. As a result the droplet covers a portion of the MRR waveguide and changes its effective refractive index. This method can be used for efficiently tuning a variety of on chip optical devices, as it offers high index contrast, electrical control and low power consumption. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America