Organic active waveguides

As the demand for high bandwidth and long-distance data transmission escalates in modern computing, optical interconnects via waveguides have attracted significant attention. While conventional inorganic materials-based waveguide necessitates complex components such as grating couplers and optical amplifiers, organic semiconductor-based waveguides offer simplified systems with unique functionalities stemming from their inherent radiative properties that facilitate efficient light–matter interactions, such as exciton–polariton formation and Förster resonance energy transfer. These interactions enable active light modulation, encompassing intensity control, wavelength shift, exciton–polariton lasing, and nonlinear optical effects. Moreover, their optical properties and structural geometries can be precisely tuned through molecular design and controlled synthesis techniques. As a result, organic waveguides have been explored for a range of applications including optical-logic operations, bio-chemical sensing, and advanced photonic integration systems. In this review, we delineate the fundamental principles of organic semiconductor waveguides, as well as their fabrication and potential impact on various photonic applications.