Optical interconnections in the intrachip, chip-to-chip, and board-to-board scenarios are investigated. A universal polymer waveguide formation method is developed. Tunability from the step index to the graded index of the polymer film makes it possible to construct planar and channel waveguides on any substrate including semiconductors, conductors, and insulators. A polymer waveguide modulator based on a current injection method is further developed. Modulation depth as high as 36 dB is achieved with an injection density of 1.8 micro-A/sq micron. A microprism coupler (about 125 microns) with a coupling bandwidth higher than 200 nm is developed to solve the interface problems among different interconnection schemes. Using this concept, optical waves from a single-mode waveguide can be successfully coupled to a multimode fiber.

Date Published: 1 February 1991
PDF: 14 pages
Proc. SPIE 1374, Integrated Optics and Optoelectronics II, (1 February 1991); doi: 10.1117/12.24968

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1374:
Integrated Optics and Optoelectronics II
Ka Kha Wong, Editor(s)