Fabrication of planar lightwave circuits with two photon polymerization

01.11.2008 - 31.10.2011
Forschungsförderungsprojekt
Integrated micro-optics and optical interconnects gain increasing importance with the rising demand for integrated optoelectronic devices. In contrast to electrical interconnects, which can be manufactured with high productivity on a large scale on Printed Circuit Boards as well as on silicon substrates, there is currently no technique available which allows the direct integration of optical devices at low cost. One technology that can aggressively address the increasing need for integration is that of Planar Lightwave Circuits (PLWC). The availability of PLWCs on an industrial level would allow the direct integration of passive and active components such as parallel optical interconnects (POIs), Wavelength Division Multiplexer, Variable Optical Attenuators and true Optical Switches. The key components for facilitating the use of PLWCs are suitable fabrication methods as well as advanced optical materials. A prime candidate for the requested fabrication technology is 2-Photon Polymerization (2PP), which offers a promising route for solving the fabrication issue: A substrate (silicon wafer or Printed Circuit Board) is coated with a layer of photosensitive resin. Using a femtosecond laser the light intensity threshold is locally exceeded and two photon polymerization is initiated. Where polymerization takes place, the optical properties of the material (e.g. refractive index) are changed. By selectively polymerizing the material according to the geometry given by the user of the system, the optical functionality can directly be written into the material. In the case of a refractive index change, the selectively irradiated structure can act as an optical interconnect. The main advantage of using 2PP is the excellent achievable feature resolution (<300nm) and the possibility to directly write fully three-dimensional structures inside the photosensitive layer. The goal of this project is to optimize the fabrication system as well as the required photopolymers and initiators in order to achieve a significant increase in write speed. The project team will develop a new 2PP manufacturing platform which allows the structuring of several substrates in parallel (multi-spot system). This parallel approach requires high-power femtosecond lasers which are available from HighQ Laser. These femtosecond lasers will be specifically tailored for the utilized initiators in order to achieve linear write speeds in the range of 50-400mm/sec. At such write speeds an economic integration of optical components will be possible. Utilizing high-sensitivity 2PP-initiators (recently developed at Vienna University of Technology) in combination with specifically tailored resins, a further significant increase in fabrication efficiency can be achieved.

Personen

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Institut

Grant funds

  • European Commission (EU) 6.FP: COORDINATION - Support for the coordination of (research) activities 6.Rahmenprogramm für Forschung European Commission - Framework Programme European Commission Call identifier ERA-SPOT 2007 Application number SPOT07/04

Forschungsschwerpunkte

  • Non-metallic Materials: 50%
  • Photonics: 25%
  • Materials Characterization: 25%

Schlagwörter

DeutschEnglisch
ZweiphotonenpolymerisationTwo photon polymerization
optische Wellenleiteroptical waveguides
Sensorensensors

Externe Partner_innen

  • High Q Laser Production GmbH
  • Institut für Angewandte Synthesechemie

Publikationen