Low-loss graded-index polymer crossed optical waveguide with high thermal resistance

Abstract: In this paper, crossed polymer waveguides with graded-index (GI) square cores are fabricated using the soft-lithography method. We experimentally demonstrate that the fabricated GI-core crossed waveguides exhibit a much lower insertion loss than conventional step index (SI)-core counterparts, which is almost independent of the cross angle. We also show in this paper that the crossed waveguides fabricated applying organic-inorganic hybrid resins show remarkably high thermal resistance compared to the waveguides fabricated utilizing an acrylate resin and a dopant system we previously reported.