Advances in polymer integrated optics (original) (raw)
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Polymer Waveguide Devices: Status and Trends
With all-optical communication systems penetrating into metro and access networks, the cost reduction becomes now the single important issue for deployment of WDM networks to such areas. Due to different functionalities, ease of fabrication, cost-effectiveness, and compatibility with other materials, polymers are emerging as a new material platform for waveguide and integrated-optical devices. In this paper, the status and the trends of polymeric waveguide materials and different waveguide and integrated-optical devices for optical communications will be reviewed.
Recent Progress in Polymer Based Photonic Devices
Due to different functionalities, ease of fabrication, cost-effectiveness, and compatibility with other materials, polymers are emerging as a new material platform for waveguide and integrated optical devices. The status and the trends of polymeric waveguide materials and devices are reviewed.
Polymeric components for telecom and datacom
Integrated Optics: Theory and Applications, 2005
Polymeric optical waveguide components offer attractive properties for applications in optical telecom and datacom systems. These are high speed for electro-optic modulators, low power dissipation for thermo-optic (digital) switches and low-cost for all active and passive components. We report on active and passive components realized by utilizing polymer-specific attractive techniques such as planarizing spincoating, low-temperature reflowing and direct photodefinition. Examples are multimode photodefined passive polymeric waveguides for optical interconnect applications; photodefined monomode polymeric waveguides loaded with rare-earth doped nanoparticles for planar waveguide amplifiers and with non-linear chromophores for electro-optic modulators. We will show that polymer waveguide technology allows vertical stacking of electro-optic microringresonators with their port waveguides to realize high-speed modulators. By reflowing the reactive-ion-etched microring we could reduce the scattering by wall roughness considerably. Thermo-optic polymeric microringresonators combine the high thermo-optic coefficient and low thermal conductivity of polymers with the small size of the microring. It will be shown that this yields a broad wavelength tuning range at low power dissipation.
A polymer-based platform technology for integrated photonics
Linear and Nonlinear Optics of Organic Materials IV, 2004
Polymers have been studied as an alternate material to silica for optical interconnects and photonic devices for the last decade. In this paper we review the work performed at GE Global Research in the area of polymer based material systems for photonic applications. A description of the application of the technology to several different areas is presented. Some of these application areas include optical interconnects, optoelectronic integration and electro-optical devices using polymer material systems. The overall effort includes areas of research from the basic chemistry of polymer optical materials to the development of photonic components. Specifically the use of polymer materials as a platform technology for hybrid integration in the development of multi-functional sub systems is reviewed.
Polymer photonic technologies for optical communications
International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks, 2013
The impact of photonics in telecommunications is indisputably massive; however it relies on efficient cost reduction which is in turn only possible if significant cost savings are made at all steps in the development of the photonic device from the material to packaging. The PHOTOPOLIS consortium has identified polymer technology as the ideal solution for producing low-cost devices. The paper aims to discuss the status of polymer photonic components and subsystems able to generate, transmit and manage optical information in a cost effective manner.
Novel configurations and approaches for polymer electro-optic devices
Proceedings of SPIE, 2004
We present recent developments in etchless fabrication techniques for defining low-loss waveguides in polymers. Photobleached waveguides with optical propagation loss equal to the inherent loss of the core materials have been fabricated, as well as Mach-Zehnder modulators with 4.5 volt driving voltage and fiber-to-fiber insertion loss of 8 dB. In terms of new configurations, a novel linearized directional coupler modulator that has a 10 dB enhancement in the dynamic range compared to conventional Mach-Zehnder modulators is presented. We report on the design and fabrication of polymer digital optical switches with switching voltages of 7 volts and extinction ratios greater than 20 dB. Simultaneous serrodyne frequency shifting and high-frequency phase modulation in a polymer phase modulator are demonstrated in order to simplify the setup required to implement two-color heterodyne ranging. Finally, we propose implementations of optical signal processors based on polymer optical delay lines, couplers, and electrooptic modulators, and discuss their applications to optical signal processing.
Novel, Fast and Flexible Methods for Fabrication of Polymer-based Optical Waveguides
2005
In this work we demonstrate how to utilize conventional polymer fabrication methods to produce optical waveguides integrated into microsystems entirely fabricated in polymers. Instead of using expensive and time consuming cleanroom processes, our principles allow easy implementation into existing designs, compatibility to mass fabrication techniques, and the possibility of quickly changing the design. The waveguides produced with these methods show propagation losses as low as 1 dB/cm over a wide wavelength range from 850 nm down to 400 nm.
All-optical polymer waveguide devices
Materials and Devices for Optical and Wireless Communications, 2002
We fabricated all-optical polymer devices such as Mach-Zehnder modulator and 1x2 switch using a polymer doped with photoresponsive dyes. The refractive index change of the photoresponsive dyes by irradiation of light was utilized to fabricate switching and modulation devices. All-optical Mach-Zehnder modulator and switch are demonstrated which are composed of a polymer waveguide doped with the dyes in the core and a thick light blocking metal layer on the waveguide. The metal layer was opened on one arm of the Mach-Zehnder modulator and 1x2 Y-branch switch, so that only one arm could be irradiated by control light, thus allowing a changing of refractive index. The optical modulator and switch exhibited an extinction ratio of about -12 dB and a crosstalk of -14 dB at a wavelength of 1 .55 im respectively. A simple kinetic model developed to delineate the refractive index change in the dye doped polymer film was applied to predict the evolution of the modulation characteristics. We have also fabricated polymeric wavelength filters with Bragg grating. The surface relief grating was formed using an azobenzene polymer film and used as an etch mask to transfer the pattern to polymer waveguides by reactive ion etching (RIE). The grating period was 5OO nm and the depth was 3O nm with 10-mm-long grating length. A crosstalk of -20 dB at the Bragg wavelength and the 3-dB transmission bandwidth of 0.2 nm were obtained from the device.
Electro-optic polymer based devices and technology for optical telecommunication
Comptes Rendus Physique, 2002
Electro-optic polymer waveguide devices are very attractive for optical communication systems, because of their potentially simple and low-cost fabrication procedure. High bandwidth devices are enabled by the low dielectric constant of polymers with negligible dispersion from DC to optical frequencies. We first detail the modelization steps relating to the optical and electrical aspects of devices. We then outline the different steps of the fabrication process of electro-optic polymer based devices. By way of illustrating these considerations, we present some original realizations namely polarization insensitive modulators, switching devices using an asymetric X coupler and optic to RF converters based on difference frequency mixing. To cite this article: P. Labbé et al., C. R. Physique 3 (2002) 543-554. 2002 Académie des sciences/Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS electro-optic polymers / integrated optics / devices / optical telecommunication Composants à base de polymères électro-optiques pour les télécommunications optiques Résumé * Correspondence and reprints.
We report the fabrication of multimode polymeric waveguides using spin coating, photolithography, and reactive ion etching. Different layer structures have been used, e.g., a UV curable resin is used as a core layer and PMMA as a lower and upper cladding. The layer systems can be spun with good uniformity with thicknesses matching multimode fiber dimensions, and smooth waveguide side-walls have been obtained after etching. The measured performance of these waveguides demonstrates that low-loss waveguides can be fabricated cheaply. The waveguides are used in the realization of novel compact multimode power splitters and star couplers.