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Photo-sensitive Epoxy Developed for Use in Optical Waveguides

- Excellent Transparency, Flexibility, Manufacturability

4.14.2005

Nitto Denko Corporation (Ibaraki City, Osaka. CEO: Masamichi Takemoto) is pleased to announce that it has developed a unique new photo-sensitive epoxy material which can be used for optical waveguides. This new material is highly transparent in the near-infrared range, and flexible, so that optical circuits can be created by patterning using ultra-violet exposure, replacing conventional dry-etching processes. Thus, the new material will be applicable in optical circuit boards.

Embedded optical waveguides can be created using the photo-sensitive epoxy material. The light-transmitting part (core) pattern surface is flat with a rectangular cross-section. The wrapping around the core (clad) can also be embedded, allowing construction of a 100µm film on the substrate. The optical characteristics of the material are excellent, leading to low 0.1 dB/cm losses over the 0.7–1.0µm range. Excellent flexibility enables the material to be used in film circuits.

In addition, manufacturing is made easier with the new material. Optical waveguide patterns can be created using a simple, ultraviolet exposure and developing process. Thus the conventional dry-etching process is no longer required. The material will also yeild benefits in the field optical interconnection, between substrates and chips, as a material for optical wave guides between parts inside electronic equipment of several mm to tens of cm.

Nitto Denko has developed this new photo-conductive material, cultivating its transparent polymer design and photo-sensitive process technologies experience of many years, in response to the growing demand for a low-cost, highly reliable optical waveguide material to transmit optical signals efficiently. Demand is growing along with completion of high-speed, high-capacity communications infrastructure as we enter the broad-band era, and in anticipation that optical communications will soon be used even at the consumer level and within electronic equipment instead of just for major communications trunk-lines.

This development was announced and exhibited at the OFC 2005 trade show, held Mar. 8-10, 2005 (Anaheim, CA).

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