Protection layers for polymer modulators/waveguides

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10520673-B2
Application number	US-201715857336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2017
Priority date	Dec 28, 2017
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

A polymer waveguide/modulator including a lower cladding layer, a polymer core, an upper cladding layer, a first protection/barrier layer sandwiched between the lower cladding layer and the core, and a second protection/barrier layer sandwiched between the core and the upper cladding layer. The protection/barrier layers designed to protect the cladding layers and the core from solvents and gases and to prevent current leakage between the cladding layers and the core. The first protection/barrier layer is optically transparent and designed with a refractive index less than, greater than, or the same as the refractive index of the core and approximately equal to the refractive index of the lower cladding layer. The second protection/barrier layer is optically transparent and designed with a refractive index less than, greater than, or the same as the refractive index of the core and approximately equal to the refractive index of the upper cladding layer.

First claim

Having fully described the invention in such clear and concise terms as to enable those skilled in the art to understand and practice the same, the invention claimed is:

1. A polymer waveguide/modulator comprising:
a lower cladding layer having a refractive index;
a polymer core having a refractive index;
an upper cladding layer having a refractive index;
a first protection or barrier layer sandwiched between the lower cladding layer and the core, the first protection or barrier layer being designed to protect the lower cladding layer and the core from solvents and gases and to prevent current leakage between the lower cladding layer and the core, and the first protection or barrier layer being optically transparent and designed with a refractive index less than, greater than, or the same as the refractive index of the core or substantially equal to the refractive index of the lower cladding layer;
a second protection or barrier layer sandwiched between the core and the upper cladding layer, the second protection or barrier layer being designed to protect the upper cladding layer and the core from solvents and gases and to prevent current leakage between the upper cladding layer and the core, and the second protection or barrier layer being optically transparent and designed with a refractive index less than, greater than, or the same as the refractive index of the core or substantially equal to the refractive index of the upper cladding layer; and
wherein the first and second protection or barrier layers each include multiple pairs of sub-layers, each pair of sub-layers including a first sub-layer positioned closest to the core having a refractive index higher than a refractive index of a second sub-layer positioned farther from the core.

2. The polymer waveguide/modulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the lower cladding layer includes one of polymer material, dielectric material or semiconductor based material.

3. The polymer waveguide/modulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the upper cladding layer includes one of polymer material, dielectric material and/or semiconductor based material.

4. The polymer waveguide/modulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first protection or barrier layer includes one of metal material, dielectric material or semiconductor based material.

5. The polymer waveguide/modulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second protection or barrier layer includes one of metal material, dielectric material or semiconductor based material.

6. The polymer waveguide/modulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first and second protection or barrier layers are optically transparent to light wavelengths in a range of 0.08 μm to 2 μm.

7. The polymer waveguide/modulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first and second protection or barrier layers each have a thickness in a range of 50 Å to 50,000 Å.

8. The polymer waveguide/modulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first protection or barrier layer reduces current leakage between the lower cladding layer and the core to less than 1 nA and the second protection or barrier layer reduces current leakage between the upper cladding layer and the core to less than 1 nA.

9. The polymer waveguide/modulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the polymer core includes ultem polymer material with a refractive index in a range of 1.65 to 1.75 and the lower and upper cladding layers each have a refractive index in a range of 1.65 to 1.75, +/−0.07 to 0.01.

10. The polymer waveguide/modulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the polymer core includes ultem polymer material with a refractive index of 1.7 and the lower and upper cladding layers each have a refractive index of 1.68 and the first and second protection or barrier layers each have a refractive index of 1.7+/−0.02.

11. The polymer waveguide/modulator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first and second protection or barrier layers each include multiple sub-layers.

12. A polymer waveguide/modulator comprising:
a lower cladding layer having a refractive index;
a polymer core having a refractive index;
an upper cladding layer having a refractive index;
a first protection or barrier layer sandwiched between the lower cladding layer and the core, the first protection or barrier layer being designed to protect the lower cladding layer and the core from solvents and gases and to prevent current leakage between the lower cladding layer and the core, and the first protection or barrier layer being optically transparent and designed with a refractive index less than, greater than, or the same as the refractive index of the core or substantially equal to the refractive index of the lower cladding layer;
a second protection or barrier layer sandwiched between the core and the upper cladding layer, the second protection or barrier layer being designed to protect the upper cladding layer and the core from solvents and gases and to prevent current leakage between the upper cladding layer and the core, and the second protection or barrier layer being optically transparent and designed with a refractive index less than, greater than, or the same as the refractive index of the core or substantially equal to the refractive index of the upper cladding layer; and
wherein the polymer core includes ultem polymer material with a refractive index of 1.7 and the first and second protection or barrier layers each include two sub-layers, with a sub-layer adjacent the core having a 1.69 refractive index and a sub-layer adjacent the lower cladding layer and the upper cladding layer, respectively, having a 1.68 refractive index.

Assignees

• Lightwave Logic Inc

Inventors

• Becker Richard
• Lebby Michael
• Yi Youngwoo

Classifications

• G02B2006/12121

  Laser · CPC title

• G02B2006/12176

  Etching · CPC title

• G02B6/12004

  Combinations of two or more optical elements · CPC title

• G02F1/00

  Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics · CPC title

• G02B2006/12142

  Modulator · CPC title