CHANNEL-OPTICAL-WAVE-GUIDE FABRICATION BASED ON ELECTRON-BEAM IRRADIATION OF POLYIMIDES

A new-channel-waveguide-fabrication process for use with polyimide is described. The new technique uses an electron-bean-induce effect to alter the refractive index of the polyimides directly. Channel waveguides with an 8-mu m-wide, 8-mu m-deep core have been fabricated on a polyimide film by the use of electron-beam irradiation. Only one kind of polyimide (GFDA/TFDB) was used in this waveguide. The difference in refractive index between the core and the cladding was approximately 0.30% for both TE-and TM-polarized incident light when the dose was 1500 mu C/cm(2), which was sufficient to produce waveguides. The optical properties of the waveguide are also demonstrated.