Advances in polymer integrated optics

Abstract

We report on advances in polymeric waveguide technologies developed worldwide for the telecom and datacom markets, and we describe in detail one such technology developed at AlliedSignal. Optical polymers are versatile materials that can be readily formed into planar single-mode, multimode, and microoptical waveguide structures ranging in dimensions from under a micrometer to several hundred micrometers. These materials can be thermoplastics, thermosets, or photopolymers, and the starting formulations are typically either polymers or oligomers in solution or liquid monomers. Transmission losses in polymers can be minimized, typically by halogenation, with state-of-the-art loss values being about 0.01 dB/cm at 840 nm and about 0.1 dB/cm at 1550 nm. A number of polymers have been shown to exhibit excellent environmental stability and have demonstrated capability in a variety of demanding applications. Waveguides can be formed by direct photolithography, reactive ion etching, laser ablation, molding, or embossing. Well-developed adhesion schemes permit the use of polymers on a wide range of rigid and flexible substrates. Integrated optical devices fabricated to date include numerous passive and active elements that achieve a variety of coupling, routing, filtering, and switching functions.Index Terms-Datacom, dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM), interconnects, low loss, polymers, telecom, thermooptic effect, tunable filters.

Near infrared light emission quenching in organolanthanide complexes

“…m-terphenyl-based ͑L͒ Er 3+ complexes ͑ErL͒ and Er-8-hydroxiquinoline ͑Er 3 Q 9 ͒ in the solid state, for which the necessary optical and structural data are available. In ErL, r =1/k r = 4 ms, 2 R min = 3.7 Å, and ͗␣ A ͘ Er ϳ 6.6 cm −1 ; 15,16 assuming a refraction index n ϳ 1.5, the continuum model yields nr =1/k nr ϳ 0.4 s, in good agreement with the measured NIR lifetime, 0.5 s. 2 In Er 3 Q 9 , r = 5 ± 0.5 ms, 17 R min = 3.4 Å, 13 and ͗␣ A ͘ Er = 1 ± 0.3 cm −1 . 18 With these parameters and for n ϳ 1.5, the theoretical nonradiative lifetime becomes nr ϳ 2.6 s, in very good agreement with the experimental emission lifetime, 2.3 s. 13 As predicted by the continuum model, the previous analysis shows that the larger the vibrational absorption at 1530 nm, the faster the nonradiative decay rate of the rareearth complexes.…”

“…All these properties make organolanthanides very attracting for the development of low-cost light sources and infrared amplifiers to integrate in planar photonic circuits for optical communications, where light signals can be generated, amplified, and processed. [1][2][3][4][5] The major drawback of these materials is related to the presence of efficient nonradiative deactivation channels, which shorten the erbium population lifetime from milliseconds to microseconds. 1,2 NIR emission quenching mainly results from the coupling of the excited state of the Ln 3+ ion with high frequency vibrations of CH and OH groups.…”

Population Saturation in Trivalent Erbium Sensitized by Organic Molecular Antennae

“…The high processability of molecular materials, combined with the large tunability of their optical properties, have boosted a rapid development of low-cost photonic systems, e.g., optical waveguides and routers. 1 Near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes have also been demonstrated. 2 In these devices, emission takes place from trivalent erbium (Er III ) ions coordinated to organic molecules (ligands) to form coordination complexes.…”

Micro-optics: a micro-tutorial

“…The fi eld of polymers has undergone very rapid development [9] and a very wide variety of polymer-based materials is now available for realizing a wide spectrum of optical functions, from passive refraction or diffraction to light emission and detection as well as optical modulation and amplifi cation [10] . As polymers are synthesized, their optical, mechanical and electrical properties may often be tuned to some extent; as a result, this very dynamic fi eld is yielding an increasingly attractive catalog of materials for micro-optics.…”