Direct pattering of polymer optical waveguide using liquid state UV-curable polymer

Single-mode optical waveguide was demonstrated using the direct patterning of a liquid-state UV- and thermally curable polymer. The propagation loss of the channel waveguide was 0.85 and 1.83 dB/cm at a wavelength of 1.3 and 1.55 μm, respectively. Excess loss from device imperfection was 0.33 dB/cm. These results indicate that direct patterning of a waveguide using liquid-state polymer can be a promising alternative to conventional reactive ion etching.