Polymeric optical waveguides using direct ultraviolet photolithography process

Single-mode polymeric channel waveguides were fabricated using simple direct ultraviolet photolithography process. A cross-linkable negative tone epoxy NANO™ SU-8 2000 polymer was used. Once exposed to ultraviolet light through a photomask, the waveguide stripes were obtained upon development. The polymer has many desirable properties, such as high refractive index, good adhesion to substrate, optical transparency in the infrared wavelength region, and high glass transition and high thermal decomposition temperatures. Properties of the optical waveguides were characterized, and there is an excellent agreement between measured data and theory. The values of dn/dT and waveguide birefringence are -1.87 × 10^-4 /°C and ∼ 10^-4, respectively, and are comparable to those of halogenated acrylate polymers. With an overcladding layer, the propagation losses measured are 0.25 and 0.28 dB/cm at 0.8 μm, 0.62 and 0.77 dB/cm at 1.31 μm, and 1.25 and 1.71 dB/cm at 1.55 μn for TE and TM polarizations, respectively.