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Polymer optical waveguide with multiple graded-index cores for on-board interconnects fabricated using
Takaaki Ishigure1, Yosuke Nitta
1Department of Applied Physics and Physico-Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Japan. ishigure@appi.keio.ac.jp
Optics Express
|July 1, 2010
Summary
This study fabricates polymer optical waveguides with graded-index (GI) cores using soft-lithography. GI cores significantly reduce inter-channel crosstalk, enabling high-density optical interconnections.
Area of Science:
- Optoelectronics
- Materials Science
- Nanofabrication
Background:
- Polymer optical waveguides are crucial for optical interconnections.
- Achieving high channel density requires minimizing inter-channel crosstalk.
- Graded-index (GI) profiles offer potential for improved optical confinement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate polymer optical waveguides with multiple GI cores.
- To evaluate the performance of GI-core waveguides compared to step-index (SI)-core waveguides.
- To demonstrate the suitability of GI-core waveguides for high-density optical interconnections.
Main Methods:
- Soft-lithography technique for fabricating GI and SI polymer optical waveguides.
- Utilizing a UV-curable polymer (TPIR-202).
- Experimental characterization of refractive index profiles, optical loss, and inter-channel crosstalk.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated polymer optical waveguides with over 50 parallel GI cores.
- Confirmed near-parabolic refractive index profiles in GI cores.
- Achieved significant crosstalk reduction (5 dB and beyond) in GI-core waveguides compared to SI-core waveguides.
- Measured optical loss of 0.1–0.3 dB/cm at 850 nm, with scattering loss reduced by the GI profile.
Conclusions:
- The soft-lithography method enables the fabrication of polymer GI-core waveguides with reduced crosstalk.
- GI-core waveguides exhibit superior performance in inter-channel crosstalk compared to SI-core waveguides.
- These GI-core waveguides are promising for high-density on-board optical interconnections.
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