Properties of Multimode Optical Epoxy Polymer Waveguides Deposited on Silicon and TOPAS Substrate

Abstract

The paper reports on the fabrication and characterization of multimode polymer optical waveguides. Epoxy polymer EpoCore was used as the waveguide core material and EpoClad was used as a cladding and cover protection layer. The design of the waveguides was schemed for geometric dimensions of 50 μm core and for 850 nm and 1310 nm wavelengths. Proposed shapes of the waveguides were fabricated by standard photolithography process. Optical losses of the planar waveguides were measured by the fibre probe technique at 632.8 nm and 964 nm. Propagation optical loss measurements for rectangular waveguides were done by using the cutback method and the best samples had optical losses lower than 0.53 dB/cm at 650 nm, 850 nm and 1310 nm.

Step and graded-index core-based polymer multimode interference splitters for photonic integrated circuits

“…The main limitations of these MMI splitters are polarization and wavelength dependency [22]. In recent years, it is established that the MMI structure could also find its application in inactive devices to improve waveguide laser performances [23].…”

Deep UV Formation of Long-Term Stable Optical Bragg Gratings in Epoxy Waveguides and Their Biomedical Sensing Potentials

“…Owing to EpoCore’s ultraviolet (UV) photosensitivity, precise waveguide geometries can be defined by standard 365 nm photolithography processes. The cured epoxy resist provides polymer-typical optical transparency windows around the primary wavelengths 850 nm, 1310 nm, and 1550 nm [ 24 ]. Numerous optomechanical sensing concepts such as freestanding sensor foils with embedded EpoCore waveguide grating structures [ 25 ] or flexible carrier substrates with one-side EpoCore strip waveguides for 1550 nm [ 26 ] and 850 nm operation [ 27 ] have been demonstrated.…”