Polymer-based waveguides with low propagation loss and polarization-dependent loss

Polymeric optical waveguides based on a new synthesized bisphenol A-aldehyde polymer (PA-1 resin) have been fabricated using photolithography and reactive ion etching technique. The polymer is novel with relatively high refractive index, low birefringence and absorption at the optical communication wavelengths. The single-mode channel waveguides exhibit a propagation loss of 0.41±0.05 dB/cm at a wavelength of 1.31μm and 0.5±0.05 dB/cm at 1.55μm for both the TE and TM polarizations. The polarization-dependent loss of the waveguides is 0.1±0.05 dB/cm at these wavelengths.