Low-cost fabrication of optical waveguide as directional coupler using CO2 laser cutting

Abstract

Engraving of polymer materials using cutting laser is a popular process in some manufacturing industries. This research presents the manufacture of waveguides channels on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) substrate using CO2 cutting laser process. The CO2 laser engraving machine has cost effective and takes less time than other tools in waveguide channels fabrication. In this work, we integrated optical components such as waveguide for directional coupler application using tin oxide which is embedded and interconnected in PMMA substrate. In the fabrication channels waveguide with grafir on PMMA subtrate with 4.2 mW laser power and speed 10 mm/s and then repeated two times. The waveguide channels profile is made with curvature angle variation for branching (17 o , 36 o and 54 o). Characterization of waveguide directional coupler is done by measuring the intensity of the output at each port cross-section of the waveguide directional coupler when given an input beam He-Ne laser (632.8 nm). The results directional coupler fabrication using CO2 laser cutting machine can achieve optimum with a very small loss of 3.3% when compared to the straight waveguide coupler channel. Thus, CO2 laser cutting processing as an optical waveguide fabrication can produce channels on PMMA material more effectively.

Micro-Optical Waveguides Realization by Low-Cost Technologies

“…Its fabrication by 3D printing technologies requires very simple equipment and no strictly controlled environment [50]. As far as PMMA-µWG is concerned, it can be used in several areas of micro-engineering technology [31,51] due to the cost-effectiveness of the material and the possibility of massive manufacture in a short time using laser cutting technology [50].…”