Radiant cured polymer optical waveguides on printed circuit boards for photonic interconnection use

We report a simple technique for patterning channelized optical waveguides on standard electronic printed circuit card material. The technique exploits the abundance of transparent, radiant-curing polymer adhesives in the fiber optics and the dental industries. The process is compatible with standard printed circuit card fabrication processes; hence its applicability to optical interconnection scenarios. We report typical guide losses in the 0.4–0.6-dB/cm range. Measurements were made using an automated noninvasive, nondestructive technique, also briefly described here. Simple structures, such as splitters, bus lines, and 90° bends were fabricated and are described. Optical coupling to the waveguides from packaged devices is also discussed.