Optical properties of fluorinated polyimides and their applications to optical components and waveguide circuits

This article reviews the optical properties of fluorinated polyimides (FPIs) that exhibit outstanding optical transparency as well as excellent thermal, mechanical, and electric properties for the applications to optical components, in particular for telecommunication applications. The optical transparency of polyimides in the near-infrared (NIR) region are explained based on the harmonic oscillations of infrared absorptions. The variations and the methods of controlling refractive indices, birefringence, and thermo-optic coefficients of polyimides are described, and a variety of recent applications of FPIs to optical components, such as single-mode and multimode waveguide circuits, substrates for WDM filters, waveplates, and polarizers are reviewed. Partially fluorinated and perfluorinated polyimides are promising optical materials for future telecommunication systems.