Fabrication of Patterned Inorganic–Organic Hybrid Film for the Optical Waveguide by Microfluidic Lithography

Abstract

Inorganic–organic hybrid materials for the optical waveguide were synthesized by the sol–gel process starting from the acid‐catalyzed solutions of phenyltrimethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, and tetraethylorthosilicate. The control of the refractive index in the organically modified silicate films was achieved by varying the content of phenyltrimethoxysilane incorporated as a refractive index modifier. A single spin‐coating with the precursor solution produced a crack‐free buffer layer of 22‐μm thickness with a dense microstructure. For the fabrication of the patterned guiding layer on top of the buffer layer, the microfluidic lithography method was used. The patterned microlines of the linewidth of 20–35 μm with a sharp edge definition could form by filling the precursor solutions into the microchannels associated with the polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic device. The patterned guiding layer was optically transparent as similar as the bare quartz glass at the wavelength above 500 nm and had a low propagation loss of 0.77 dB/cm at 1310 nm.

Erratum to: Organic–inorganic hybrid melting gels

“…Put another way, the glass transition is associated with a temperature T g , which is influenced by a number of macroscopic properties, such as viscosity, dielectric constant, and mechanical properties. Using the approach developed for traditional organic polymers and applied to inorganic silica-based polymers [22], the glass transition temperature is considered a measure of the degree of cross-linking in the silica network. In other words, the T g increases with an increase in the number of oxygen bridges between silicon atoms.…”

“…Since the refractive index and the thickness of hybrid coatings can be adjusted, waveguides based on phenyltriethoxysilane (PhTES), MTES and TEOS have been patterned by microfluidic lithography [22,23]. Using a mixture of TEOS, MTES and DMDES, a planar integrated waveguide for water vapor sensing, was obtained by doping with Erytrosin B [24].…”

Micrometer and nanometer-scale parallel patterning of ceramic and organic–inorganic hybrid materials

“…Moreover, optical properties like transmittance and refractive index can be controlled through proper selection of the organic groups, which is why these materials are so popular for these applications. 89 A comparison between soft lithographically produced photonic crystal laser resonators from epoxideand methyl-functional organosilanes, and photolithographically fabricated resonators in silicon showed that the laser emission spectra were of equal quality. 90 Patterned features were ∼500 nm in width and ∼50 nm in depth, and could be solidified at 60 • C.…”

“…A simpler alternative to increase the rate of infiltration was proposed by Jeong, Ahn, and Moon, 89 who filled macroscopic reservoirs in direct contact with the microchannel system with a sol-gel silsesquioxane-based precursor solution. After evacuating the entire chamber to 10 Torr and then returning to atmospheric pressure, the microchannels filled within seconds.…”

“…Although lower solids contents were used than employed by Heule and Gauckler, features of the channel were replicated better because of the slower drying process. Optical waveguides 89 and micro solid oxide fuel cells 144 have been made via this approach.…”