Polycyanurate ester resins with low loss for use in integrated optics

In optical network technology, not only is glass fibre required, but also a broad range of optical components, such as optical switches, multiplexers, demultiplexers, splitters, combiners and optical attenuators usually produced in silica technology. Polymeric materials are becoming more interesting for these applications, since they promise lower power consumption in optical switches and a reduction of production costs compared to silica. Polycyanurate ester resins are a relatively new class of high-performance polymers with outstanding properties, for example high thermal stability, low optical loss, low dielectric constant, good adhesion and exceptional mechanical properties. This paper focuses on the optical properties of such materials in the wavelength-region around 1550 nm. The results lead the way to optimisation for use in integrated optics and for the production of embedded waveguides and devices.