Micro/nano-scale fabrication of integrated polymer optical wire circuit arrays for optical printed circuit board (O-PCB) application

Abstract

We report on the results of our study on the micro/nano-scale design, fabrication and integration of waveguide arrays for optical printed circuit boards (O-PCBs) and VLSI micro/nano-photonic applications. The O-PCBs are designed to perform the functions of transporting, switching, routing and distributing optical signals on flat modular boards or substrates. We have assembled O-PCBs using optical waveguide arrays and circuits made of polymer materials and have examined information handling performances. We also designed power beam splitters and waveguide filters, using nano-scale photonic band-gap crystals, for VLSI photonic integration application. We discuss potential applications of polymer optical waveguide devices and arrays for O-PCB and VLSI micro/nano-photonics for computers, telecommunications, and transportation systems.