Long Free-Standing Polymer Waveguides Fabricated Between Single-Mode Optical Fiber Cores

Polymer waveguides with different lengths have been fabricated between two single mode fibers by using a new approach of self-writing using single photon polymerization via a xenon lamp instead of a monochromatic laser source. A photopolymerizable liquid drop deposited between two aligned fibers forms a polymer bridge between the cores of the two fibers when irradiated by light from one of the fibers. Polymer waveguides bridges 40 to 600 μm long have been fabricated between two optical fibers with single mode transmission loss 0.5 to 1.26 dB over a broad wavelength range.