Organo-lanthanide complexes as luminescent dopants in polymer waveguides fabricated by hot embossing

Lanthanide complexes, Eu(dbm)3(Phen) and Er(dbm)3(Phen), are employed as luminescent dopants within polymer channel waveguide devices fabricated by hot embossing. Spectroscopic properties of the complexes as dopants in the waveguide core polymer are investigated in detail. Judd–Ofelt parameters are calculated for the europium chelate and radiative properties are determined viz. potential for optical amplification. Channel waveguides fabricated by single level embossing are shown to be capable of guiding visible and infrared light emitted following optical excitation of the dopants. Multi-level polymer micro-optical benches incorporating doped channel waveguides and passive locational features for self-alignment and integration of optical fibres are fabricated in a multi-level single-step embossing process and are shown to successfully out-couple the waveguided dopant emission.