High-throughput manufacturing of photonic integrated circuit (pic) waveguides using multiple exposures

A method of forming a waveguide in a polymer layer disposed on a substrate, comprising:

• patterning the polymer layer by selectively exposing portions of the polymer layer to a first dosage of radiation that causes a reduction in a refractive index of the polymer layer such that one or more unexposed regions of the polymer layer between adjacent exposed portions each define a waveguide core;
• exposing at least the one or more unexposed regions of the polymer layer to a second dosage of radiation that is less than the first dosage of radiation;
• and
• heating the polymer layer to complete curing of the polymer film.

A method of forming a waveguide in a polymer layer disposed on a substrate, comprising:

• patterning the polymer layer by selectively exposing one or more regions of the polymer layer to a first dosage of radiation that causes an increase in a refractive index of the polymer layer such that the one or more exposed regions of the polymer layer each define a waveguide core;
• exposing, through the substrate, at least the one or more unexposed regions of the polymer layer to a second dosage of radiation that is less than the first dosage of radiation, the substrate being transparent to the radiation;
• and
• heating the polymer layer to complete curing of the polymer film.