Inexpensive local interconnect solutions using side-coupling polymer optical fibers

Potentially low-cost optical side-couplers embedded along a polymer optical fiber are demonstrated using etched micro-mirrors. Both serial and parallel mirror fabrication possibilities are discussed. Near uniform light distributions to as many as 256 such side-coupling ports along a single straight fiber were experimentally obtained. Various unidirectional and bi-directional all plastic array coupler concepts are presented. Some of them are experimentally demonstrated. Low-cost unidirectional and bidirectional optical data buses are proposed.