Simple multi-mask technique for fabrication of high resolution polymer structures

The performance of many integrated photonic devices is often determined by the accuracy by which the structure can be defined and ultimately fabricated. However the manufacture of highly defined vertices in photonic structures is often limited by the mask quality and by the limited resolution obtainable by standard photolithography. A simplified fabrication technique is presented here, that offers advantages over previously reported methods for the fabrication of highly defined vertices in polymeric integrated optical components so overcoming these limiting factors. The application of this technique for the fabrication of two dimensional integrated optical wavelength division multiplexing components is demonstrated. The possible application of this component to the low cost datacom market is also reviewed and compared to competitive technologies. The advantages of the technique is discussed and the improved resolution obtainable in comparison to standard single mask photolithography is illustrated.