Method of manufacturing optoelectronic components

A method of manufacturing optoelectronic components in which an optical waveguide is made of an optically nonlinear polymer and which include stripe electrodes arranged above and below the optical waveguide, comprising the steps of:

• a) forming on a glass substrate provided with a layer of electrically conductive material, at least one stripe electrode by a photolithographic technique;
• b) providing the substrate with a buffer layer of a polymer, which is cured;
• c) providing the surface of the buffer layer with a protection resistant to oxygen plasma;
• d) depositing a second buffer layer of a polymer and then coating with a positive photoresist;
• e) exposing the substrate from below using the at lest one stripe electrode as an optical mask;
• f) developing the photoresist and removing the unexposed photoresist;
• g) depositing a thin aluminum layer by evaporation;
• h) removing the developed photoresist layer with the aluminum layer thereon;
• i) etching a channel into the second buffer layer above the stripe electrode, using the aluminum layer as an etch mask;
• j) removing the aluminum layer;
• k) depositing a layer of an optically nonlinear polymer which fills the channel;
• l) forming a third buffer layer;
• and
• m) forming at least one further stripe electrode on the third buffer layer.