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Flexible photonic components in glass substrates.
Optics Express
|September 15, 2015
Summary
Researchers fabricated flexible photonic circuits on glass substrates using ultrafast lasers. These novel glass waveguides offer low loss and high thermal stability, presenting an alternative to polymer-based flexible photonics.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Materials Science
- Optoelectronics
Background:
- Flexible photonic lightwave circuits are typically made from polymers.
- There is a need for alternative materials offering enhanced thermal stability and performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the fabrication of flexible photonic lightwave circuits in glass substrates.
- To characterize the optical and thermal properties of these novel waveguides.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication using temporally and spatially shaped ultrafast laser pulses.
- Measurement of waveguide propagation loss using optical frequency domain reflectometry.
- Assessment of bend loss and thermal stability.
Main Results:
- Highly symmetrical, low-loss optical waveguides were written in flexible glass (25-100 µm thickness).
- Propagation loss was measured at 0.11 dB/cm at 1550 nm.
- Negligible bend loss for radii ≥ 1.5 cm and thermal stability up to 400°C were confirmed.
Conclusions:
- Flexible glass substrates are a viable alternative to polymers for photonic lightwave circuits.
- The fabricated waveguides exhibit excellent optical and thermal properties suitable for various applications.
