Fabrication of an integrated optical system in glass using laser assisted manufacturing

Integrated optical fluid sensor in glass

“…For this purpose, a near-surface trench is first produced in the glass, then filled with a conventional liquid polymer and cured globally in the subsequent process step. In this way, any surface near path design can be realized with low production costs [15]. The waveguide is embedded in a near-surface cavity, with no additional upper cladding other than air to the environment, manufactured by a combination of subtractive and additive manufacturing processes, this novel method is called LDB (LIDE-Doctor-blade).…”

“…This cavity is filled with a light-guiding material. In this way, the glass functions as a carrier substrate and an optical cladding for the waveguide [15]. Doctor blade processing is used to fill planar u-shaped cavities in thin glass.…”