Laser assisted maskless microdeposition for conformal direct writing of optical fibers

Abstract

Metallic coating of optical waveguides can increase their performance in both sensing and communication applications. The present paper addresses the selective deposition of metallic thin films of silver on optical fibers with laser assisted maskless microdeposition (LAMM) technology. LAMM technology is direct writing process, and compared with conventional deposition methods used in MEMS application, is flexible, fast and low temperature. Through this work, LAMM is successfully characterized for selective and conformal deposition of silver thin films on non-planar surface of single mode optical fibers. The deposited layers are investigated with optical and scanning electron microscope, and the results do not show formation of cracks and porosity.Metallic coating of optical waveguides can increase their performance in both sensing and communication applications. The present paper addresses the selective deposition of metallic thin films of silver on optical fibers with laser assisted maskless microdeposition (LAMM) technology. LAMM technology is direct writing process, and compared with conventional deposition methods used in MEMS application, is flexible, fast and low temperature. Through this work, LAMM is successfully characterized for selective and conformal deposition of silver thin films on non-planar surface of single mode optical fibers. The deposited layers are investigated with optical and scanning electron microscope, and the results do not show formation of cracks and porosity.