Process for making an array of tapered photopolymerized waveguides

A process comprising the steps of:

• (a) placing a photomask in substantial contact with a substrate wherein said photomask has opaque and transparent regions;
• (b) placing a substantially uniform thickness of photopolymerizable mixture on said substrate so that said substrate is positioned between said photopolymerizable mixture and said photomask wherein:
• (i) said photopolymerizable mixture comprises at least one reactive monomer and photoinitiator, and
• (ii) said photoinitiator is present in an amount sufficient to form a gradient of substantially collimated actinic radiation across the thickness of said photopolymerizable mixture during subsequent step (c);
• (c) while maintaining said photopolymerizable mixture and substrate in a substantially fixed plane relative to said substantially collimated actinic radiation, exposing through said transparent regions of said photomask said photopolymerizable mixture to said substantially collimated actinic radiation for a time sufficient to form an array of tapered photopolymerized waveguides wherein:
• (i) the tapered end of each of said waveguides extends outward from said substrate,
• (ii) each of said waveguides has a light input surface adjacent said substrate and a light output surface distal from said light input surface, and
• (iii) the area of the light input surface of each of said waveguides is greater than the area of its light output surface;
• and
• (d) removing said photomask and photopolymerizable mixture which was not substantially polymerized by said substantially collimated actinic radiation during step (c) from said substrate.