Abstract

Intrinsic resistance and capacitance limit the rate at which information can be moved through conventional electronic circuitry. In principle, optics provides means for much higher data transfer rates. In addition, optical information pathways are insensitive to electromagnetic interference. Today glass optical fibers are routinely used for high speed data transfer in many applications. Although these fibers provide a very convenient means for carrying optical information over long distances, they are very inconvenient for complex high density optical circuitry. Furthermore, interconnection devices fabricated from glass optical fibers are difficult to fabricate and are very fragile. Polymeric materials, on the other hand, offer the potential to create highly complex optical interconnection circuitry on a planar substrate. In addition, they provide the possibility for a much higher degree of ruggedness. What has been needed is development and characterization of suitable polymeric materials, development of fabrication techniques for polymeric optical devices, development of technology for interconnection of polymer waveguides with glass optical fibers and full characterization of the resulting optical circuitry. We have developed a technology for polymeric optical interconnection which addresses these needs. The key features of this technology and some example applications will be described here.

© 1995 Optical Society of America