Fabrication of thermally stable and cost-effective polymeric waveguide for optical printed-circuit board.
A thermally stable polymeric optical waveguide has been fabricated using ultraviolet (UV)-curable epoxy resins for the core and clad materials. A simple and cost-effective fabrication method that uses reusable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) masters has been developed. The 12-channel under-clad layer of the UV-cured epoxy was prepared using a PDMS master whose embossed channels had been fabricated by a polycarbonate (PC) secondary master. The thermal stability of the fabricated waveguide was tested at 200 degrees C for one hour. The optical waveguide was not damaged physically by thermal stress. Propagation losses detected by a cut-back method were 0.16 dB/cm and 0.26 dB/cm, respectively, before and after the thermal stability test at 850 nm. Loss increase after the thermal treatment can be attributed to the formation of the absorbing and scattering sources. This waveguide can be applied for areas that require thermal stability such as an optical printed-circuit board.
Photonic Computer Systems Lab., School of Engineering, Information and Communications University, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, Korea.
Do-Won
DW
Kim
Seung Ho
SH
Ahn
In-Kui
IK
Cho
Dong-Min
DM
Im
Shirazy Md
SM
Shorab Muslim
Hyo-Hoon
HH
Park
D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D004581:Electronics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D055096:Optical Devices; D013696:Temperature
D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; C013830:baysilon