Manufacturing method for a waveguide

A method for manufacturing a waveguide, the method comprising:

• producing a waveguide stack in which at least some elements are bonded using an adhesive selected from a first group of adhesives;
• treating top surfaces of coupling-in plates to make the top surfaces of the coupling-in plates reflective or diffractive;
• bonding the coupling-in plates together or bonding the coupling-in plates to sacrificial plates using an adhesive selected from the second group of adhesives to form a coupling-in stack having top and bottom surfaces;
• cutting the coupling-in stack along planes at acute angles relative to the top and bottom surfaces of the coupling-in stack to form one or more coupling-in stack segments including coupling-in plane segments;
• bonding the coupling-in plane segments to respective waveguide slices in the waveguide stack using an adhesive selected from the first group of adhesives to form a waveguide structure;
• wherein the second group of adhesives consists of adhesives more susceptible to chemical etching or heating removal than respective adhesives in the first group of adhesives;
• cutting the waveguide structure along planes parallel to top and bottom surfaces of the waveguide structure to form waveguide structure segments;
• and
• removing from one or more of the waveguide structure segments portions bonded using an adhesive selected from the second group of adhesives by at least one of chemical etching or heating.

A method for manufacturing a waveguide, the method comprising:

• treating top or bottom surfaces of first waveguide plates to make the top or the bottom surfaces of the first waveguide plates partially reflective or diffractive;
• bonding the first waveguide plates at the top or bottom surfaces to form a first waveguide block using an adhesive selected from a first group of adhesives;
• cutting the first waveguide block along first planes at acute angles relative to the top and bottom surfaces to form one or more first waveguide slices with internal facets;
• treating top or bottom surfaces of second waveguide plates to make the top or the bottom surfaces of the second waveguide plates partially reflective or diffractive;
• bonding the second waveguide plates at the top or bottom surfaces to form a second waveguide block having top and bottom surfaces using an adhesive selected from the first group of adhesives;
• cutting the second waveguide block along third planes at acute angles relative to the top and bottom surfaces of the second waveguide block to form one or more second waveguide slices with internal facets;
• bonding the waveguide slices using an adhesive selected from the first group of adhesives to form a waveguide stack;
• treating top or bottom surfaces of third waveguide plates to make the top or the bottom surfaces of the third waveguide plates partially reflective or diffractive;
• bonding the third waveguide plates at the top or bottom surfaces to form a mixer block having top and bottom surfaces using an adhesive selected from the first group of adhesives;
• bonding the at least one of the first waveguide slices to the mixer block and the mixer block to the waveguide stack to form a compound waveguide block;
• cutting the compound waveguide block along planes corresponding to the top or bottom surfaces of the second waveguide slices to form third waveguide slices;
• and
• alternating and bonding the third waveguide slices to placeholder plates using an adhesive selected from a second group of adhesives to form a second waveguide stack, wherein the second group of adhesives consists of adhesives more susceptible to chemical etching or heating removal than respective adhesives in the first group of adhesives.