CN114563842A - Refractive index gradient polymer waveguide and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents
Refractive index gradient polymer waveguide and manufacturing method thereof Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN114563842A CN114563842A CN202011364935.XA CN202011364935A CN114563842A CN 114563842 A CN114563842 A CN 114563842A CN 202011364935 A CN202011364935 A CN 202011364935A CN 114563842 A CN114563842 A CN 114563842A
- Authority
- CN
- China
- Prior art keywords
- waveguide
- core layer
- substrate
- waveguide core
- polymer
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
- 229920000642 polymer Polymers 0.000 title claims abstract description 77
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 34
- 239000012792 core layer Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 129
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 72
- 238000005253 cladding Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 70
- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 47
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 33
- 238000010023 transfer printing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 33
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 18
- 238000004049 embossing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 10
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 206010034972 Photosensitivity reaction Diseases 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 230000036211 photosensitivity Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 39
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 claims description 22
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 claims description 17
- 239000011162 core material Substances 0.000 claims description 10
- 238000009792 diffusion process Methods 0.000 claims description 10
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 8
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- KPUWHANPEXNPJT-UHFFFAOYSA-N disiloxane Chemical class [SiH3]O[SiH3] KPUWHANPEXNPJT-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000003822 epoxy resin Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 229920000647 polyepoxide Polymers 0.000 claims description 5
- VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicium dioxide Chemical compound O=[Si]=O VYPSYNLAJGMNEJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- UMIVXZPTRXBADB-UHFFFAOYSA-N benzocyclobutene Chemical compound C1=CC=C2CCC2=C1 UMIVXZPTRXBADB-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000004205 dimethyl polysiloxane Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 229920000435 poly(dimethylsiloxane) Polymers 0.000 claims description 3
- -1 polydimethylsiloxane Polymers 0.000 claims description 3
- 229920002379 silicone rubber Polymers 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000004945 silicone rubber Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000007731 hot pressing Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 125000005396 acrylic acid ester group Chemical group 0.000 claims 2
- 238000009281 ultraviolet germicidal irradiation Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 abstract description 4
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 19
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 16
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 6
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 6
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000010923 batch production Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000009286 beneficial effect Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000001723 curing Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000013307 optical fiber Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001125 extrusion Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000011031 large-scale manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000000206 photolithography Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229920000058 polyacrylate Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000003825 pressing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000001029 thermal curing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000004593 Epoxy Substances 0.000 description 1
- CERQOIWHTDAKMF-UHFFFAOYSA-N Methacrylic acid Chemical compound CC(=C)C(O)=O CERQOIWHTDAKMF-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229920006222 acrylic ester polymer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000004913 activation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002411 adverse Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011243 crosslinked material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000006185 dispersion Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000001312 dry etching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000002148 esters Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 230000002349 favourable effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003292 glue Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000010354 integration Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000002955 isolation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003475 lamination Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000608 laser ablation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 1
- 125000005395 methacrylic acid group Chemical group 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000035699 permeability Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001259 photo etching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000016 photochemical curing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001020 plasma etching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000013308 plastic optical fiber Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920006254 polymer film Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000010076 replication Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004904 shortening Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002174 soft lithography Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007669 thermal treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012876 topography Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004506 ultrasonic cleaning Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/10—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type
- G02B6/12—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind
- G02B6/122—Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths
- G02B6/1221—Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths made from organic materials
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/10—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type
- G02B6/12—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind
- G02B6/13—Integrated optical circuits characterised by the manufacturing method
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Optical Integrated Circuits (AREA)
Abstract
The application discloses a refractive index gradient polymer waveguide and a manufacturing method thereof, comprising the following steps: providing a waveguide substrate with a base station positioning hole; manufacturing a polymer waveguide lower cladding on the surface of the waveguide substrate; coating a waveguide core layer material with ultraviolet photosensitivity on the surface of the waveguide lower cladding layer far away from the waveguide substrate; hot-embossing the waveguide core layer material by using a flexible transfer printing film mold to form a waveguide core layer with an embossed waveguide link structure; carrying out heat treatment on the waveguide core layer with the imprinted waveguide link structure; pre-exposure treatment is carried out on the waveguide after heat treatment; coating a waveguide upper cladding layer on the surface of the waveguide core layer subjected to the pre-exposure treatment; and curing the waveguide core layer and the waveguide upper cladding layer. By the manufacturing method, the polymer waveguides with stable performance and gradually changed refractive indexes can be manufactured in batches, and the manufacturing method has good economic benefit.
Description
Technical Field
The invention relates to the technical field of optical waveguides, in particular to a polymer waveguide with gradually-changed refractive index and a manufacturing method thereof.
Background
The polymer-based organic optical waveguide not only has the characteristics of excellent mechanical property, good heat resistance, easy integration, adjustable refractive index, high flexibility of wiring and the like, but also has the preparation process compatible with the traditional PCB processing process, can meet the requirements of high-density and complex interconnection links of communication equipment, and is suitable for large-scale production.
Although many polymer waveguide forming processes have been developed, most of them are based on photolithography, template replication and direct writing techniques, such as photobleaching, photolithography, reactive ion etching, laser ablation, ultraviolet laser direct writing, etc., and all of the polymer waveguides formed by the above processes are step waveguides, and their cross-sections are often designed to be square or rectangular. And the sidewall roughness of these polymer waveguides tends to be large, and thus the transmission loss is correspondingly large. Meanwhile, in a dense waveguide link, due to the fact that the roughness of the side wall of the waveguide is large, an optical signal is scattered at an interface and enters a cladding region, a cladding mode is converted into a guided mode which is transmitted by an adjacent waveguide, namely mode conversion occurs, and a serious crosstalk phenomenon is caused.
Compared with a step waveguide, the gradual change waveguide has stronger constraint capacity on optical signals and can limit the optical signals to be transmitted near the central line of the waveguide, so that the adverse effect caused by the roughness of the side wall is reduced, the isolation degree of the waveguide is further improved, and the crosstalk and loss of the waveguide are effectively reduced. In addition, compared with the step waveguide, the transmission bandwidth of the gradual change waveguide is larger, and the coupling loss is smaller when the gradual change waveguide is coupled with a circular optical fiber. Meanwhile, the gradual change waveguide is beneficial to shortening the propagation delay difference among the light rays in each transmission mode and reducing the dispersion among different transmission modes. However, the current methods for fabricating graded index waveguides are also very limited.
For example, in the method of manufacturing a high-bandwidth parabolic graded-index waveguide by heating melt extrusion and an interface gel technology in a cladding solution cylinder by using a polymer optical fiber preform, the optical fiber preform needs to be manufactured, which is not suitable for most polymer waveguide systems, and the problems of difficult coupling and the like exist due to large difference between the waveguide pitch and the corresponding position of extrusion molding. The method for manufacturing the polymer waveguide with the refractive index gradually changing in the horizontal direction and the step in the vertical direction by using the special photosensitive material through the optical addressing method needs to use the special waveguide material in the manufacturing process, has high manufacturing cost and is not suitable for large-scale production. The manufacturing method for preparing the nearly circular polymer waveguide with the gradually-changed refractive index by using the 3D micropore direct writing technology has the advantages of low manufacturing speed, a plurality of control factors and large deviation of the manufactured waveguide position, causes great difficulty in coupling alignment between the multichannel waveguide and a standard device, and is difficult to realize large-scale application.
Disclosure of Invention
The application provides a refractive index gradient polymer waveguide and a manufacturing method thereof, aiming at solving the technical problems that the manufacturing cost of the gradient waveguide is high and batch production cannot be realized in the prior art.
In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a method for manufacturing a graded-index polymer waveguide, comprising: providing a waveguide substrate with a base station positioning hole; manufacturing a polymer waveguide lower cladding on the surface of the waveguide substrate; coating a waveguide core layer material with ultraviolet photosensitivity on the surface of the waveguide lower cladding layer far away from the waveguide substrate; hot-embossing the waveguide core layer material by using a flexible transfer printing film mold to form a waveguide core layer with an embossed waveguide link structure; carrying out heat treatment on the waveguide core layer with the imprinted waveguide link structure; pre-exposure treatment is carried out on the waveguide core layer after heat treatment; coating a waveguide upper cladding on the surface of the waveguide core layer subjected to pre-exposure; and curing the waveguide core layer and the waveguide upper cladding layer.
Preferably, the step of hot-embossing the waveguide core material by using a flexible transfer film mold to form a waveguide core layer of an embossed waveguide link structure having a plurality of grating lines includes: and stripping the flexible transfer printing film mold from the waveguide core layer to form the waveguide core layer of the imprinted waveguide link structure with a plurality of grating lines.
Preferably, the substrate is any one of an FR-4 substrate, a Si substrate, an organic glass substrate and an ITO glass substrate.
Preferably, the flexible transfer printing film mold is made of any one of polydimethylsiloxane polymer and silicone rubber, the flexible transfer printing film mold is provided with a grid-shaped groove, the depth of the groove of the flexible transfer printing film mold is close to the thickness of the waveguide core layer, and the deviation of the groove and the thickness of the waveguide core layer is within 5 micrometers.
Preferably, the flexible transfer film mold is manufactured by performing direct writing on the surface of any one of silicon-based glass, quartz glass, a silicon wafer or metal through femtosecond laser.
Preferably, the core layer material is any one of siloxane polymer, epoxy resin polymer, acrylic polymer/ester polymer or benzocyclobutene polymer.
Preferably, the waveguide core layer material forms a dry film under ultraviolet irradiation, and the thickness of the dry film is in the range of 5-100 micrometers.
The application also provides a graded-index polymer waveguide, which comprises a waveguide substrate, a waveguide lower cladding, a waveguide core layer and a waveguide upper cladding,
the waveguide core layer is provided with an embossed waveguide link structure with a plurality of grating lines, is arranged between the waveguide lower cladding layer and the waveguide upper cladding layer, and generates interface diffusion with the waveguide upper cladding layer at the embossed waveguide link; the impressed waveguide link structure of the waveguide core layer is formed by hot-pressing a flexible transfer printing film mould.
Preferably, the waveguide lower cladding layer is arranged on the surface of the waveguide substrate, the waveguide core layer is arranged on the surface of the waveguide lower cladding layer far away from the waveguide substrate, and the waveguide upper cladding layer is arranged on the surface of the waveguide core layer far away from the waveguide lower cladding layer.
Preferably, the waveguide substrate is any one of an FR-4 substrate, a Si substrate, an organic glass substrate or an ITO glass substrate, and the waveguide core layer is any one of a siloxane polymer, an epoxy resin polymer, an acrylic polymer or a benzocyclobutene polymer.
The beneficial effect of this application is: the imprinting waveguide link structure is formed by thermally imprinting the waveguide core layer through the flexible transfer film mold, the waveguide core layer is protected through the waveguide upper cladding layer and the waveguide lower cladding layer, the stable polymer waveguide with the gradually-changed refractive index can be formed, batch production can be carried out, the flexible transfer film mold and the waveguide core layer are easy to separate, the flexible transfer film mold can be repeatedly used, repeated manufacturing cost is saved, and the imprinting waveguide link structure has a good economic effect.
Drawings
In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the description below are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings without creative efforts.
FIG. 1 is a schematic flow chart of one embodiment of a method for fabricating a graded-index polymer waveguide according to the present application;
FIG. 2a is a schematic structural diagram of a waveguide substrate according to the present application;
FIG. 2b is a schematic diagram of a graded-index polymer waveguide of the present application including a lower waveguide cladding;
FIG. 2c is a schematic structural diagram of a waveguide core material according to the present application;
FIG. 2d is a schematic view of the alignment of the flexible transfer film mold and the waveguide core material;
fig. 2e is a schematic structural diagram of the flexible transfer film mold and the waveguide core layer after the lamination according to the present application;
FIG. 2f is a schematic diagram of a graded index polymer waveguide with an embossed waveguide link structure according to the present application;
FIG. 2g is a schematic structural diagram of a thermally treated imprinted waveguide core layer of the present application;
FIG. 2h is a schematic structural diagram of an imprinted waveguide core layer of the exposure process of the present application;
FIG. 2i is a schematic diagram of the structure of a graded-index polymer waveguide coated with an upper cladding layer;
FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a graded-index polymer waveguide according to the present application.
Detailed Description
The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.
The terminology used in the embodiments of the present application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. As used in the examples of this application and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the "plural" includes at least two in general, but does not exclude the presence of at least one.
It should be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein is merely one type of association that describes an associated object, meaning that three relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship.
It should be understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, as used herein, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising … …" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of the phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by one skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.
Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic flow chart of an embodiment of a method for manufacturing a graded-index polymer waveguide according to the present application, the method comprising the following steps:
step S11: a waveguide substrate having a submount positioning hole is provided.
With further reference to fig. 2a, fig. 2a is a schematic diagram of a waveguide substrate. As shown in fig. 2a, the waveguide substrate is a flat substrate, and in this embodiment, the waveguide substrate has a base positioning hole, which is used to fix the waveguide substrate and the graded-index polymer waveguide at a designated position, so as to facilitate the flexible transfer film mold to imprint at the designated position of the waveguide core layer. In the embodiment, a polymer waveguide with gradually changed refractive index is manufactured on a waveguide substrate, and the waveguide substrate is made of any one of an FR-4 substrate, a Si substrate, an organic glass substrate and an ITO glass substrate. Before the waveguide of the polymer with the gradually-changed refractive index is manufactured on the surface of the waveguide substrate, ultrasonic cleaning or ion cleaning and surface activation treatment are needed to be carried out on the waveguide substrate.
Step S12: and manufacturing a polymer waveguide lower cladding on the surface of the waveguide substrate.
Referring to fig. 2b, fig. 2b is a schematic structural diagram of a graded-index polymer waveguide including a waveguide lower cladding, as shown in fig. 2b, a waveguide lower cladding is coated on a surface of the waveguide substrate, the waveguide lower cladding is a polymer film, in this embodiment, a thickness of the waveguide lower cladding film is between 5 and 100 micrometers, and in other embodiments, a thickness of the waveguide lower cladding film may be adjusted according to actual production requirements. The waveguide lower cladding layer can generate interface diffusion with the waveguide core layer material at the interface joint.
Step S13: and coating the surface of the waveguide lower cladding layer far away from the waveguide substrate with a waveguide core layer material with ultraviolet photosensitivity.
Referring further to fig. 2c, fig. 2c is a schematic structural diagram of a waveguide core material. As shown in fig. 2c, the structure of the graded-index polymer waveguide containing the waveguide core material is schematically shown, in which a layer of uv-sensitive material is coated on the surface of the waveguide lower cladding layer. In this embodiment, the waveguide core layer material is a siloxane-based polymer, an epoxy-based polymer, or a methacrylic polymer, but may be other materials in other embodiments. The waveguide core layer material has ultraviolet photosensitivity and can form a dry film under the irradiation of ultraviolet light. In this embodiment, the waveguide core layer material may form a dry film with a thickness of 5-100 μm under the irradiation of ultraviolet light, and in another embodiment, the thickness of the waveguide core layer may be adaptively modified according to actual needs, which is not limited herein.
Step S14: and hot-embossing the waveguide core layer material by using the flexible transfer printing film mold to form the waveguide core layer with the embossed waveguide link structure.
Referring to fig. 2d, fig. 2e and fig. 2f, the waveguide core layer film is hot-stamped by using a flexible transfer film mold, and the structure of the waveguide core layer with the stamped waveguide link structure is shown in fig. 2 f. As shown in fig. 2d and 2e, the step of hot-stamping the waveguide core material by using a flexible transfer film mold to form a waveguide core layer having a stamped waveguide link structure includes: the method comprises the following steps of firstly, placing a waveguide substrate on a high-flatness base station, and fixing the waveguide substrate at a specified position through a positioning hole in the waveguide substrate so as to facilitate the alignment of a flexible transfer printing film mold. And secondly, carefully placing the flexible transfer printing film mould on a conveying belt of a flat plate type vacuum film pressing machine with a plate surface alignment recognition system, and contacting the mould with the surface of the polymer core layer film through a CCD positioning system to realize accurate alignment. Referring to fig. 2d, fig. 2d is a schematic structural diagram illustrating alignment between a flexible transfer film mold and a waveguide core layer material. And thirdly, hot-embossing the flexible transfer printing film mold and the substrate structure containing the waveguide core layer under certain vacuum, temperature and pressure to enable the flexible transfer printing film mold to be tightly attached to the waveguide core layer and slowly sink into the waveguide core layer material, so that the groove of the flexible transfer printing film mold is completely filled with the waveguide core layer material, and please refer to fig. 2e, wherein fig. 2e is a schematic structural diagram of the flexible transfer printing film mold and the waveguide core layer after being pressed. Fourthly, the polymer waveguide substrate with the waveguide core layer is fully cooled, and then the flexible imprinted film mold is peeled off from the polymer waveguide substrate, so as to form an imprinted waveguide link structure with a plurality of grating lines on the core layer film, please refer to fig. 2f, where fig. 2f is a schematic structural diagram of a refractive index gradient polymer waveguide with an imprinted waveguide link structure.
In this embodiment, the flexible transfer film mold is fabricated by performing direct writing on the surface of any one of silicon-based glass, quartz glass, silicon wafer or metal by using an ultrafast femtosecond laser, and may be fabricated by other methods in other embodiments, which are not limited herein. Preferably, the thickness of the flexible transfer film mold is between 2 and 5 millimeters. The material of the flexible transfer printing film is any one of polydimethylsiloxane polymer or silicone rubber.
In this embodiment, the flexible transfer film has a reverse-printed waveguide link structure, and a printed waveguide link structure having a plurality of grating lines can be formed on the surface of the waveguide core layer.
The flexible transfer printing film mold is used as a mold for manufacturing the waveguide core layer and is provided with a plurality of gate-type grooves, in this embodiment, the depth of the groove of the flexible transfer printing film mold is slightly greater than the thickness of the prefabricated waveguide core layer film, and preferably, the difference between the thickness of the groove of the flexible transfer printing film mold and the thickness of the waveguide core layer film is 2-5 micrometers. In this embodiment, the width of the flexible transfer film mold groove is slightly smaller than the width of the prefabricated waveguide core layer, and preferably, the difference between the width of the flexible transfer film mold groove and the width of the prefabricated waveguide core layer is 5-10 μm.
In this embodiment, the step S14 of processing the polymer waveguide by using the soft lithography technique is favorable for realizing batch production of the polymer waveguide, and the surface of the waveguide core layer is processed by using the thermal treatment process, so that the surface of the waveguide core layer is smoother, a smooth sidewall interface layer is obtained, the waveguide core layer is easier to separate from the flexible transfer film mold, and the high-precision dependence of the waveguide sidewall on the flexible imprint film mold is reduced. In the embodiment, the waveguide core layer of the imprinted waveguide link with the smooth side wall can be obtained without a very fine flexible transfer film mold, and the yield of the imprinted waveguide link structure is improved under the condition of reducing the requirement on a fine template. In the embodiment, the polymer waveguide is manufactured by directly stamping the waveguide core layer film by using the stamping die, so that the manufacturing period is short, the preparation process is simple, the manufacturing process precision is high, the Roll-to-Roll processing process is convenient to realize, complicated forming processes such as photoetching and dry etching are not needed in the processing process, the used flexible transfer film can be repeatedly used, and the polymer waveguide has good economic benefit.
Step S15: and carrying out heat treatment on the waveguide core layer with the imprinted waveguide link structure.
Referring to fig. 2g, the waveguide core layer with the imprinted waveguide link structure is thermally processed to change the surface topography of the waveguide core layer into a nearly circular structure, which is shown in fig. 2g, and fig. 2g is a schematic structural diagram of the imprinted waveguide core layer after thermal processing. In this embodiment, the waveguide core layer having the imprinted waveguide link structure is preferably subjected to a heating process using a thermal oven. In this embodiment, the surface morphology of the waveguide core layer can be controlled under heating to smooth the surface of the waveguide core layer and form an approximately circular structure. In the embodiment, the surface of the waveguide core layer, which is in contact with the waveguide upper cladding, forms a near-circular structure by performing heat treatment on the waveguide core layer, and the near-circular structure is still naturally formed after interface diffusion, so that the waveguide core layer can be conveniently coupled with standard devices such as optical fibers.
Step S16: and carrying out pre-exposure treatment on the waveguide core layer after the heat treatment.
Referring further to fig. 2h, fig. 2h is a schematic structural diagram of an imprinted waveguide core layer after exposure processing. And carrying out pre-exposure treatment on the imprinting waveguide core layer after the heat treatment so as to enable the waveguide core layer to be in a semi-cured state. On one hand, the waveguide morphology can be restrained, on the other hand, the waveguide morphology can be kept good in permeability, and interface diffusion between the core layer structure and the cladding material is facilitated after the upper cladding is coated, so that a graded index layer with a certain thickness is formed. In this embodiment, it is preferable that the pre-exposure treatment is performed by applying a dose of 20-50% of irradiation energy required to completely cure the imprint waveguide glue using a UV device.
In this embodiment, the waveguide core layer obtained in step S15 may be physically cured after being subjected to heat treatment, and the waveguide core layer may be crosslinked and cured after being subjected to pre-exposure treatment in step S16 to form a semi-cured crosslinked material, so that the waveguide core layer and the waveguide cladding layer may diffuse at the interface boundary. In this embodiment, the material of the waveguide core layer is subjected to photo-thermal curing treatment, so that a semi-cured near-circular structure is formed on the surface of the waveguide core layer. In other embodiments, a thermal curing process or a photo curing process may be used alone to fix the surface of the waveguide core layer, and the specific implementation mode may be selected according to the material of the waveguide core layer, which is not limited herein.
Step S17: and coating the waveguide upper cladding layer on the surface of the waveguide core layer subjected to the pre-exposure treatment.
Referring further to FIG. 2i, FIG. 2i is a schematic diagram of a graded-index polymer waveguide after coating the upper cladding layer of the waveguide. Specifically, a waveguide upper cladding layer is coated on the surface of the waveguide core layer, and the structure is shown in fig. 2 i. In this embodiment, the material of the coated upper waveguide cladding layer and the material of the waveguide core layer can undergo interfacial diffusion under heating, so that a waveguide core layer structure with gradually-changed refractive index is formed at the interface of the waveguide core layer. In this embodiment, a graded-index layer with a certain thickness is formed by free diffusion of the waveguide core layer and the cladding material at the interface, so as to form the polymer waveguide with a gradually-changed refractive index. The interfacial diffusion between the waveguide core and the waveguide cladding (mainly the lower cladding) at the interface is determined by the material properties of the waveguide core and the waveguide cladding. The manufacturing method for the interface diffusion of the waveguide core layer and the waveguide cladding layer through heating is simple and easy to control, and the polymer waveguide with gradually changed refractive index can be realized only by controlling the curing process conditions of the core layer and the cladding layer in the manufacturing process.
Step S18: and curing the waveguide core layer and the waveguide upper cladding layer.
Preferably, the waveguide core layer and the waveguide upper cladding layer are cured by ultraviolet radiation or heating, and the polymer waveguide with the gradually-changed refractive index can be prepared after curing.
The beneficial effects of this embodiment: the flexible transfer printing film mold can be repeatedly used, the cost for manufacturing the flexible transfer printing film mold is saved, and the hot stamping is used in the process of forming the waveguide core layer with the imprinted waveguide link structure, so that the surface of the side wall of the waveguide core layer is smooth, and the dependence of low-roughness waveguide manufacturing on a high-precision mold is reduced. And the phenomenon of interface diffusion between the waveguide core layer in a semi-cured state and the waveguide cladding material at the interface joint is utilized to form the polymer waveguide which is approximately a circular mechanism and has gradually changed refractive index. The method is simple to operate, easy to control and good in economic benefit.
Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the graded-index polymer waveguide according to the present application.
The graded-index polymer waveguide 30 includes a waveguide substrate 1, a waveguide lower cladding layer 2, a waveguide core layer 3, and a waveguide upper cladding layer 4. The waveguide lower cladding layer 2 is positioned on the surface of the waveguide substrate 1, the waveguide core layer 3 is positioned on the surface of the waveguide upper cladding layer 4 far away from the waveguide substrate 3, and the waveguide upper cladding layer 4 is positioned on the surface of the waveguide core layer 3 far away from the waveguide substrate 1 and forms a waveguide core layer 3 protection layer together with the waveguide lower cladding layer 2 so as to wrap the waveguide core layer 3. The waveguide core layer 3 has an imprinted waveguide link structure with a plurality of grating lines.
The waveguide core layer 3 is made of any one of siloxane polymers, epoxy resin polymers and methacrylic acid (ester) polymers, has ultraviolet photosensitivity, and can form a dry film with a certain thickness under the irradiation of ultraviolet light. In the present embodiment, the waveguide core layer 3 is a dry film composed of an imprinted waveguide link structure with a plurality of grating lines, and preferably, the thickness of the dry film is 5 to 100 micrometers. The imprinting waveguide link structure of the waveguide core layer 3 is formed by imprinting the flexible transfer printing film mold under certain vacuum, temperature and pressure in a hot-embossing mode, hot embossing is carried out through the flexible transfer printing film mold, the same imprinting waveguide link structure obtained by hot embossing every time can be guaranteed, batch production can be carried out on the polymer waveguides with gradually changed refraction rates, the flexible transfer printing film mold can be used repeatedly, and manufacturing cost is greatly saved.
The flexible transfer printing film mold is manufactured through a direct writing process, specifically, through direct writing on the surface of glass or other substances through ultrafast femtosecond laser. In this embodiment, the substrate for manufacturing the flexible transfer film mold may be made of silicon-based glass, quartz glass, silicon wafer, or metal, and in other embodiments, the substrate may be set according to the material of the manufactured mold, which is not limited herein.
Optionally, the waveguide substrate 1 is made of any one of an FR-4 substrate, a Si substrate, an organic glass substrate, or an ITO glass substrate. The surface of one side of the waveguide substrate 1, which is far away from the waveguide upper cladding, is provided with a plurality of positioning holes for fixing the waveguide substrate on a high-flatness base station. The flexible transfer printing film mold is also provided with alignment holes, the flexible transfer printing film mold can be fixed on a conveying belt of a flat plate type vacuum film pressing machine of an alignment recognition system, the flexible transfer printing film mold and a waveguide core layer film are accurately aligned through a CCD positioning system, and the flexible transfer printing film mold is in surface contact with the waveguide core layer to realize hot stamping. The alignment position of the waveguide core layer and the flexible transfer printing film mold can be effectively controlled by a positioning hole positioning method, so that the manufacturing shape of the imprinted waveguide link structure is controlled, and the imprinted waveguide link structure is produced in batches.
In this embodiment, the waveguide core layer is preferably a dry film having a thickness of 5 to 100 μm. The surface of the material can be smoothened by self surface tension under the heating condition.
The beneficial effect of this embodiment is: the refractive index gradient polymer waveguide provided by the embodiment is simple to manufacture, has good mechanical properties and heat resistance, is flexible in wiring, and can meet the requirements of high-density and complex interconnection links of communication equipment.
The above description is only an embodiment of the present application, and not intended to limit the scope of the present application, and all modifications of equivalent structures and equivalent processes, which are made by using the contents of the specification and the drawings, or directly or indirectly applied to other related technical fields, are also included in the scope of the present application.
Claims (10)
1. A method for manufacturing a graded-index polymer waveguide,
providing a waveguide substrate with a base station positioning hole;
manufacturing a waveguide lower cladding on the surface of the waveguide substrate;
coating a waveguide core layer material with ultraviolet photosensitivity on the surface of the waveguide lower cladding layer far away from the waveguide substrate;
hot-embossing the waveguide core layer material by using a flexible transfer printing film mold to form a waveguide core layer with an embossed waveguide link structure;
carrying out heat treatment on the waveguide core layer with the imprinted waveguide link structure;
pre-exposing the waveguide core layer after the heat treatment;
coating a waveguide upper cladding on the surface of the waveguide core layer subjected to pre-exposure treatment;
and curing the waveguide core layer and the waveguide upper cladding layer.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of hot embossing the waveguide core material with a flexible transfer film mold to form a waveguide core layer of an embossed waveguide link structure having a plurality of grating lines comprises:
and separating the flexible transfer printing film mold from the waveguide core layer to form the waveguide core layer of the imprinted waveguide link structure with a plurality of grating lines.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forming the graded-index polymer waveguide comprises,
the substrate is any one of an FR-4 substrate, a Si substrate, an organic glass substrate and an ITO glass substrate.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forming the graded-index polymer waveguide comprises,
the flexible transfer printing film mold is made of any one of polydimethylsiloxane polymer and silicone rubber, and is provided with a grid-type groove.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the flexible transfer film mold is formed by direct writing on a surface of any one of silicon-based glass, quartz glass, silicon wafer, or metal by femtosecond laser.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forming the graded-index polymer waveguide comprises,
the waveguide core layer material is any one of siloxane polymers, epoxy resin polymers, acrylic acid/ester polymers or benzocyclobutene polymers.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide core material is formed into a dry film under uv irradiation, the dry film having a thickness in the range of 5-100 μm.
8. A graded-index polymer waveguide comprising a waveguide substrate, a waveguide lower cladding, a waveguide core layer, and a waveguide upper cladding,
the waveguide core layer is provided with an embossed waveguide link structure with a plurality of grating lines, is arranged between the waveguide lower cladding layer and the waveguide upper cladding layer, and generates interface diffusion with the waveguide upper cladding layer at the embossed waveguide link;
the impressed waveguide link structure of the waveguide core layer is formed by hot-pressing a flexible transfer printing film mould.
9. The graded-index polymer waveguide of claim 8, wherein the waveguide lower cladding layer is disposed on a surface of the waveguide substrate, the waveguide core layer is disposed on a surface of the waveguide lower cladding layer remote from the waveguide substrate, and the waveguide upper cladding layer is disposed on a surface of the waveguide core layer remote from the waveguide lower cladding layer.
10. The index-graded polymer waveguide of claim 8,
the waveguide substrate is any one of an FR-4 substrate, a Si substrate, an organic glass substrate or an ITO glass substrate, and the waveguide core layer is any one of siloxane polymers, epoxy resin polymers, acrylic acid/ester polymers or benzocyclobutene polymers.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202011364935.XA CN114563842A (en) | 2020-11-27 | 2020-11-27 | Refractive index gradient polymer waveguide and manufacturing method thereof |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202011364935.XA CN114563842A (en) | 2020-11-27 | 2020-11-27 | Refractive index gradient polymer waveguide and manufacturing method thereof |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN114563842A true CN114563842A (en) | 2022-05-31 |
Family
ID=81712138
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202011364935.XA Pending CN114563842A (en) | 2020-11-27 | 2020-11-27 | Refractive index gradient polymer waveguide and manufacturing method thereof |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN114563842A (en) |
Citations (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1366097A2 (en) * | 2000-11-01 | 2003-12-03 | Corning Incorporated | All polymer process compatible optical polymer material |
| CN1523382A (en) * | 2002-12-02 | 2004-08-25 | ϣ | Methods of forming waveguides and waveguides formed therefrom |
| CN1549937A (en) * | 2001-05-01 | 2004-11-24 | 纳幕尔杜邦公司 | Optimized multi-layer optical waveguiding system |
| CN101122655A (en) * | 2007-09-25 | 2008-02-13 | 晶方半导体科技（苏州）有限公司 | Optical waveguide and its manufacture method thereof |
| CN101221358A (en) * | 2008-02-04 | 2008-07-16 | 哈尔滨工业大学 | Curved substrate multi-phase micro-optical element processing method based on flexible ultraviolet die mold |
| CN102289036A (en) * | 2011-08-22 | 2011-12-21 | 博创科技股份有限公司 | Method for preparing plane optical waveguide chip |
| US20130216779A1 (en) * | 2012-02-16 | 2013-08-22 | University Of Tennessee Research Foundation | Nanostructures from Laser-Ablated Nanohole Templates |
| JP2017187654A (en) * | 2016-04-06 | 2017-10-12 | 日立化成株式会社 | Method for manufacturing optical waveguide |
| CN108107506A (en) * | 2018-02-12 | 2018-06-01 | 福州大学 | A kind of optical communicating waveband polymer waveguide grating coupler and preparation method thereof |
| US20200292754A1 (en) * | 2017-08-24 | 2020-09-17 | Dow Global Technologies Llc | Method for optical waveguide fabrication |
-
2020
- 2020-11-27 CN CN202011364935.XA patent/CN114563842A/en active Pending
Patent Citations (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1366097A2 (en) * | 2000-11-01 | 2003-12-03 | Corning Incorporated | All polymer process compatible optical polymer material |
| CN1549937A (en) * | 2001-05-01 | 2004-11-24 | 纳幕尔杜邦公司 | Optimized multi-layer optical waveguiding system |
| CN1523382A (en) * | 2002-12-02 | 2004-08-25 | ϣ | Methods of forming waveguides and waveguides formed therefrom |
| CN101122655A (en) * | 2007-09-25 | 2008-02-13 | 晶方半导体科技（苏州）有限公司 | Optical waveguide and its manufacture method thereof |
| CN101221358A (en) * | 2008-02-04 | 2008-07-16 | 哈尔滨工业大学 | Curved substrate multi-phase micro-optical element processing method based on flexible ultraviolet die mold |
| CN102289036A (en) * | 2011-08-22 | 2011-12-21 | 博创科技股份有限公司 | Method for preparing plane optical waveguide chip |
| US20130216779A1 (en) * | 2012-02-16 | 2013-08-22 | University Of Tennessee Research Foundation | Nanostructures from Laser-Ablated Nanohole Templates |
| JP2017187654A (en) * | 2016-04-06 | 2017-10-12 | 日立化成株式会社 | Method for manufacturing optical waveguide |
| US20200292754A1 (en) * | 2017-08-24 | 2020-09-17 | Dow Global Technologies Llc | Method for optical waveguide fabrication |
| CN108107506A (en) * | 2018-02-12 | 2018-06-01 | 福州大学 | A kind of optical communicating waveband polymer waveguide grating coupler and preparation method thereof |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| EP1542045B1 (en) | Method of manufacturing an optical waveguide | |
| US6962667B2 (en) | Process for producing polymer optical waveguide | |
| US6929760B2 (en) | Method for producing a polymer optical waveguide and laminated polymer optical waveguide with an alignment mark | |
| JP2004029507A (en) | Optical element and its manufacturing method | |
| KR100476317B1 (en) | Optical coupling device and method for fabricating the same, master for fabricating the optical coupling device and method for fabricating the same | |
| US7317861B2 (en) | Method of producing polymer optical waveguide | |
| JP2004144987A (en) | Manufacturing method of polymeric optical waveguide | |
| Yuan et al. | Soft-lithography-enabled fabrication of large numerical aperture refractive microlens array in hybrid SiO2–TiO2 sol-gel glass | |
| US6990263B2 (en) | Connector-integrated type polymer optical waveguide, method and mold for producing the same | |
| Kim et al. | Fabrication of ridge waveguides by UV embossing and stamping of sol-gel hybrid materials | |
| KR101114469B1 (en) | Fabricating method of two-dimensional polymeric optical waveguide | |
| US7749410B2 (en) | Method of fabricating polymer optical circuit | |
| JPH08327842A (en) | Optical waveguide | |
| CN114563842A (en) | Refractive index gradient polymer waveguide and manufacturing method thereof | |
| Jin et al. | Industry compatible embossing process for the fabrication of waveguide-embedded optical printed circuit boards | |
| WO2022110065A1 (en) | Graded-index polymer waveguide and manufacturing method therefor | |
| KR100935866B1 (en) | Optical waveguide using epoxy resin and the fabricating methods thereof | |
| Yoon et al. | Fabrication of multimode polymeric waveguides by hot embossing lithography | |
| JP2007233303A (en) | Method of manufacturing polymer optical waveguide module | |
| JPH08271746A (en) | Optical waveguide and its production | |
| JP2005017816A (en) | Laminated macromolecular optical waveguide and its manufacturing method | |
| US7438838B2 (en) | Polymeric optical waveguide-forming master plate, method for producing polymer optical waveguide, and aperture changeable polymeric optical waveguide | |
| Kim et al. | Polymer Planar‐Lightwave‐Circuit‐Type Variable Optical Attenuator Fabricated by Hot Embossing Process | |
| Yu et al. | A simple method for fabrication of thick sol-gel microlens as a single-mode fiber coupler | |
| JPH08327844A (en) | Production of optical waveguide |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination |