Directly inscribed multimode polymer waveguide and 3D device for high-speed and high-density optical interconnects

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Optical interconnects are crucial for high-speed data transmission.
• Developing compact, low-loss waveguides is essential for advanced optical systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a polymer waveguide compatible with multimode fibers (MMFs).
• To achieve high-speed data transmission and short wavelength division multiplexing (SWDM) for optical interconnects.

Main Methods:

• Direct inscribing method for waveguide fabrication.
• Characterization of optical loss (propagation, coupling, bending) and crosstalk.
• Demonstration of non-return-to-zero (NRZ) data transmission and SWDM.

Main Results:

• A 75-cm circular-core polymer waveguide with low propagation loss (<0.044 dB/cm) and low crosstalk (<-34 dB).
• Negligible coupling loss with 50-μm-core MMFs and low bending loss (<0.08 dB/mm).
• Error-free 25 Gb/s NRZ data transmission and 4 × 25 Gb/s SWDM demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The fabricated polymer waveguide meets requirements for high-speed and high-density optical interconnects.
• The technology enables 3D integration with components like Y-splitters/combiners.