Light coupling in a Scotch tape waveguide via an integrated metal diffraction grating

We report on the first demonstration of a flexible optical waveguide interconnecting device made of a general purpose pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape embedding nanopatterned Al thin film diffractive grating couplers. The diffractive elements allow selected broadband light to be perpendicularly coupled/decoupled into/from a PSA tape waveguide in which they are integrated. Waveguide losses and coupling efficiency are evaluated. The versatility and low cost of the used materials make the presented configuration very promising for cost-effective, ready-to-use short-distance optical interconnections.