The investigation results of the propagation loss due to light scattering in electrically induced channel in planar waveguides are presented. The channel structure was obtained by means of electric driven stripe electrode made by photolithographic process. Planar waveguiding cell has been fabricated using ITO/SiO2/polyimide-coated glass plates and LC film 20 micrometers thick. A nematic liquid crystal layer with 90 degrees-twisted nematic orientation was studied. The He-Ne light beam was endfire coupled into an input edge of a waveguide using an objective lens. The propagation loss have been evaluated from the spatial variation intensity of light scattered out perpendicularly to the waveguide surface along the light propagation direction measured with CCD camera. Loss measurements have been made in room temperature. Waveguiding channel effect has been observed above 2.5 Vrms of applied voltage with the loss of about 17 +/- 1 dB. Increased driving voltage up to 100 Vrms reduces the loss to minimum value of 12 +/- 1 dB/cm. As a result of the experiments one may conclude that transmission loss in thick nematic waveguide have bulk character caused by imperfection of molecular alignment.
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