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MAP was used to fabricate polymer DRRs as its high resolution allows precise control on the coupling/transmission coefficients. Pedestal acrylic DRRs with 33nm FSR and −15dB isolation were fabricated and showed qualitative agreement with simulation results.

Improvement of resolution beyond the Rayleigh limit is obtained by monitoring non-resonant four wave mixing generated by the target in a confocal scanning microscope configuration.

Micro-ring resonators with good performance were fabricated using multi-photon absorption polymerization (MAP) on PDMS and directly pressed against SPF producing variable resonances in the optical output spectrum depending on positioning and pressure.

Techniques for directly dispensing fluorinated polymer waveguides on printed circuit (PC) boards and for fabricating undercut couplers are presented. The dispensed fluorinated polymer waveguides and undercut couplers provide low loss transmission at 1550 nm.

We review our progress in fabricating polymer optical waveguides using three techniques: laser ablation and automatic dispensing, standard photolithography, and 3D multiphoton absorption polymerization. Applications discussed include optical interconnects for PC boards and microring resonators.

Techniques for directly-dispensing of polymer waveguides in laser-ablated trenches on printed circuit (PC) boards and for fabricating grating couplers are presented. The blazed grating couplers on re-shaped waveguide ends provided high coupling efficiency.

We report progress in the development of polymer waveguides and devices for photonic applications in three areas: non-photolithographic techniques for polymer waveguide fabrication, bistability in laterally-coupled polymer microring resonators, and ultrafast photoconductive switches fabricated from semiconducting polymers. The non-photolithographic techniques for waveguide fabrication under development include laser milling with an excimer laser and programmable automatic dispensing of multimode polymer waveguides using an Essemtech automatic dispenser. Asymmetric diffraction gratings fabricated using phase masks and the interference of two excimer laser beams have exhibited concentration of optical power into the 1st diffraction order. Polymer micro-ring resonators laterally coupled to a bus line were fabricated by lithography from benzocyclobutene with radii as small as 10 μm and free spectral ranges on the order of 20 nm. These devices exhibit bistability in the frequency domain which can arise from thermal or nonlinear optical changes in refractive index and that may have application for all-optical switching. Metal-polymer-metal switches fabricated with interdigitated electrodes in an inverted structure exhibited fast transient photoconductive pulsewidths under 20 ps in response to femtosecond pump laser pulses, but the measurement was bandwidth limited by the oscilloscope. Here we report pump-probe measurements that indicate carrier lifetimes on the order of 2 ps.

With the increasing interest in polymer integrated optical devices, techniques for fabrication of polymer waveguides and gratings are of critical importance [1-3]. We are developing direct laser fabrication techniques for this application. The investigation of the device fabrication is carried out using 20 ns, 193 nm ArF and 100 fs Ti:Sapphire lasers. Nearly single-mode straight waveguides and gratings with a sub-micron period were fabricated by laser ablation of polymer films.

Optical interconnects can provide chip-to-chip data communication with much needed bandwidth as processor speed and density keep growing. Optical waveguides and couplers are essential components for implementing optical interconnections. Techniques for directly dispensing polymer waveguides in laser-ablated trenches on printed circuit boards and for fabricating optical couplers are presented for quick prototype of optical interconnects. High-quality UV curable polymer waveguides were routinely fabricated. High-efficiency couplers, blazed grating couplers on sloped waveguides, sloped facet metal film couplers, and reflective-undercut facet couplers can be fabricated by using excimer laser ablation.