Production and characterization of all-polymer based optical waveguides and interconnects

The production of polymer light guiding structures and optical interconnects with cross-sections of a few 10 micron is a key technology to realize integrated photonic circuits and flexible and highly functional optical sensor arrays relevant for a variety of novel applications, e.g. in medicine, life sciences and production technology. While fabrication techniques for glass or silicon waveguides are well known, processes for completely polymer based structures are still under intense research. We present our recent work on the production of polymer waveguides using hot embossing, photolithographic, and laser ablation techniques and discuss the feasibility for implementation in high throughput reel-to-reel processes. We have also developed a method based on self-focusing of laser light in polymer to realize reliable and efficient optical interconnects between such waveguides. These interconnects are promising tools to couple multi-mode or single-mode optical fibers or waveguides with high efficiency and can even compensate for misalignments. Finally, we present our progress towards the realization of all-polymer based distributed sensing concepts relying on purely optical means.