Direct laser-writing of polymer structures for optical interconnects on backplane printed circuit boards

We have previously developed a direct UV-laser-writing technique and custom photo-polymer optimised to form multimode polymer waveguides and embedded 45deg out-of-plane mirrors. In the IeMRC funded ldquoIntegrated Optical and Electronic Interconnect PCB Manufacturingrdquo (OPCB) project the key aim is to explore how these techniques can be extended to suit real-world optical backplane applications - both in the context of scale and manufacturability. In particular, we are assessing the viability of the technique for writing polymer optical waveguides of approximately 50 times 50 mum in cross-section over large metre-scale areas and the compatibility of this optical interconnect approach with existing PCB manufacturing processes.