High-performance optical polymers for low-cost high-port-count planar wavelength-division-multiplexing devices

High-port-count WDM devices produced in glass optical fibers are difficult to fabricate, and as a result are quite expensive. Polymeric materials, on the other hand, offer the potential to create low-cost highly complex optical interconnection circuitry on a planar substrate. In addition, they provide the possibility for a much higher degree of ruggedness and hermeticity. We have developed in detail one technology for polymeric optical interconnection which addresses the needs of the telecom industry. Our polymeric waveguiding structures are very low loss (0.06 dB/cm at 1550 nm), temperature resistant (they can endure more than 65 years at 100/spl deg/C before a loss of 0.1 dB/cm is thermally induced), humidity resistant (no humidity effects on bare device after 600 hours at 85/spl deg/C 85% RH), and exhibit low dispersion and low birefringence.