Multimode Polymer Waveguides Research Articles

Fabrication of Multimode Polymeric Waveguides by Hot Embossing Lithography

The fabrication of polymeric waveguides and the loss of waveguides were investigated for optical interconnection. Multimode polymeric waveguides were fabricated by hot embossing process. The replication of waveguide channels with hot embossing technology is of interest for single step processes that have to deliver a surface roughness far below the wavelength. Resulting waveguides exhibited a smooth surface profile and the square cross section of the core. The average propagation loss of these waveguides was approximately 0.2 dB/cm at 850 nm wavelength.

Fabrication of Multimode Polymeric Waveguides and Micromirrors Using Deep X-Ray Lithography

Multimode polymeric waveguides and 45/spl deg/ micromirrors have been fabricated using deep X-ray lithography. Polymethylmetacrylate was used as a core layer and silica and silicone elastomer as a lower and upper cladding layer, respectively. The propagation loss of the waveguide was 0.54 dB/cm at 830 nm and the loss of micromirrors was less than 0.43 dB at the wavelength. The X-ray lithography technique offers the controllability of mirror angles to 45/spl deg/ and -45/spl deg/ so that it gives flexibility to the system architecture of optical interconnections.

Microfabricated polymer analysis chip for optical detection

A coupling between multimode polymer waveguides and microfluidic channels on a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) capillary electrophoresis (CE)-chip for optical analytical applications has been successfully realised. This technology allows the integration of polymer optical waveguides together with hermetically sealed fluidic channels. The microchannels and waveguides are made in PMMA by the approved hot-embossing technology. The technology developed for the fabrication of polymer waveguides on the microfluidic chip offers the possibility of great flexibility in the choice of core materials, design and alignment of the polymer waveguides. The integration of polymer waveguides on an analysis chip enables highly spatially resolved optical detection without the large and expensive conventionally used apparatus. The optical properties of the analytical system developed are verified by transmission and propagation loss measurements. The results of measurements prove the suitability of the presented device for optical applications between 440 and 800 nm. This was shown with absorbance measurements of the dye Sulfanilazochromotrop (SPADNS) within 50 microm fluidic channels.

Optical Interconnects on and in Printed Circuit Boards

Two types of short distance optical interconnects for on-board applications are presented: Small diameter plastic optical fibre (POF) links and multimode polymer waveguide layers integrated in multilayer printed circuit boards (PCB). POF links with fibre numbers up to 128 and link lengths up to 50 cm are realized with total transmission loss values below 2 dB at 660 nm. First tests of 10 cm long temperature stable multimode polymer waveguides laminated into standard multilayer PCBs demonstrate the capabilities of combined electrical-optical circuit boards.

Experimental demonstration of 2.5 Gbit/s transmission with 1 m polymer optical backplane

An optical backplane for high-speed data transmission was experimentally examined. The transmission of 2.5 Gbit/s per channel over a 1 m multimode polymer waveguide is demonstrated.

Optical interconnection using VCSELs and polymeric waveguide circuits

We investigated the waveguide loss and transmission characteristics for optical interconnection using vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and multimode polymeric waveguide circuits with crossings. The excess loss with 100 crossings is 2.2 dB when the image magnification from a VCSEL to a waveguide is 2.3. We obtained error-free (i.e., bit error rate <10/sup -11/) optical interconnection at 1.0625 Gbps regardless of the number of crossings or the magnification. These results suggest the practicality of large-scale optical interconnection between VCSEL-based smart-pixel chips using multimode waveguides with more than 100 crossings.

Polarization-insensitive thermo-optic switch based on multimode polymeric waveguides with an ultralarge optical bandwidth

A promising polarization-insensitive thermo-optic switch based on multimode polymeric waveguides is reported. This device has a packing density of 40 channels/cm. Simulation result shows that an extinction ratio of greater than 20 dB can be achieved with the device–electrode interaction length of 30 mm. The thermo-optic switch operating at wavelengths of 632.8 nm and 1.3 μm has been demonstrated experimentally with extinction ratios of 21 and 22 dB, respectively. Such a device has an intrinsic wide optical bandwidth due to the large dynamic range of the phase-matching condition implied by the multimode waveguides. The material employed provides us with a switching speed of 100 μs.

Multimode Polymeric Optical Waveguides with High Thermal Stability Using UV Cured Epoxy Resins

We fabricated low loss multimode polymeric optical waveguides with high thermal stability using UV cured epoxy resins. We also measured the increment in the propagation loss with a short storage heating test to take account of the soldering process. The minimum propagation loss of the waveguide at 830 nm was 0.13 dB/cm. There was almost no increment at 830 nm after heating test at 250°C for one hour.

Very low loss multimode polymeric optical waveguides

Very low loss multimode polymeric optical waveguides were fabricated on a 4 inch silicon substrate. Deuterated poly-methylmethacrylate was used as the core and UV curable epoxy resin as the cladding. The propagation losses of the waveguides were &lt; 0.02 dB/cm at both 0.68 and 0.83 µm, and 0.07 dB/cm at 1.31 µm.

Multimode polymeric waveguide devices fabricated by two-component injection moulding

Multimode polymeric waveguide devices with PMMA substrates, large core (0.25–2 mm2) styrene/acrylonitril copolymer waveguides and PMMA superstrates have been fabricated by injection moulding. Waveguide losses of 0.15–0.3 dB/cm have been measured in the 600–1100 nm wavelength range. The stability of the devices has been tested by temperature cycling between –40°C and +75°C.

Computer-controlled pressure-dispensed multimode polymer waveguides

An extremely simple, low-cost technique is described for rapid fabrication of polymer optical waveguides on silicon or glass substrates. Experimental results are reported for two types of multimode optical waveguides suitable for signal distribution in hybrid OEIC's. Losses as low as 0.1 dB/cm are observed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>