Optical polymer element for coupling photoelements onto integrated-optical circuits

An Integrated-optical device in polymer technology, having a photoelement coupled onto an optical waveguide, with only the evanescent field components of the optical waveguide being coupled by an optical intermediate element into the photoelement, and wherein:

• the photoelement is incorporated into a polymeric upwardly closed cover plate;
• the cover plate is fitted exactly onto a polymeric base plate having an optical waveguide;
• the intermediate element is an optical buffer layer disposed between the cover plate and base plate;
• the buffer layer is a polymer layer with photopolymerizable additives responsive to UV exposure and whose refractive index is set locally in a region opposite a sensitive window of the photoelement;
• the refractive index gradually changes spatially due to UV exposure, in varied density, such that the refractive index profile of the buffer layer is set in a longitudinal direction of the waveguide or as a spatial depth profile of a refractive index increase over the sensitive window of the photoelement.

An Integrated-optical device in polymer technology, having a photoelement coupled onto an optical waveguide, with only the evanescent field components of the optical waveguide being coupled by an optical intermediate element into the photoelement, and wherein:

• the photoelement is incorporated into a polymeric upwardly closed cover plate;
• the cover plate is fitted exactly onto a base plate comprising a polymer layer having a light guiding optical waveguide;
• the intermediate element is an optical buffer layer disposed between the cover plate and the base plate;
• and the buffer layer is structured in the lateral direction in a region opposite a sensitive window of the photoelement by a taper structure having a slightly increased refractive index.

An Integrated-optical device in polymer technology, having a photoelement coupled onto an optical waveguide, with only the evanescent field components of the optical waveguide being coupled by an optical intermediate element into the photoelement, and wherein:

• the photoelement is incorporated into a polymeric upwardly closed cover plate;
• the cover plate is fitted exactly onto a base plate comprising a polymer layer having a light guiding optical waveguide;
• the intermediate element is an optical buffer layer disposed between the cover plate and the base plate;
• the optical buffer layer, with photopolymerizable admixtures, is applied to the cover plate;
• and the refractive index of the buffer layer in a region opposite a sensitive window of the photoelement is raised and set in at least one of the longitudinal direction of the waveguide, as a spatial depth profile of the refractive index increase, and as a taper structure by local UV exposure.

An Integrated-optical device in polymer technology, having a photoelement coupled onto an optical waveguide, with only the evanescent field components of the optical waveguide being coupled by an optical intermediate element into the photoelement, and wherein:

• the photoelement is incorporated into a polymeric upwardly closed cover plate;
• the cover plate is fitted exactly onto a base plate comprising a polymer layer having a light guiding optical waveguide;
• the intermediate element is an optical buffer layer disposed between the cover plate and the base plate;
• and the optical buffer layer is formed as a thin polymer film having electrical conductor tracks on a side facing the cover plate;
• and this buffer film with the electrical conductor tracks is laminated onto the cover plate such that the photoelements are electrically contacted at the same time.

An Integrated-optical device in polymer technology, having a photoelement coupled onto an optical waveguide, with only the evanescent field components of the optical waveguide being coupled by an optical intermediate element into the photoelement, and wherein:

• the photoelement is incorporated into a polymeric upwardly closed cover plate;
• the cover plate is fitted exactly onto a base plate comprising a polymer layer having a light guiding optical waveguide;
• the intermediate element is an optical buffer layer disposed between the cover plate and the base plate;
• and a light entry surface of the photoelement is geometrically closer to the optical waveguide than the cover plate and extends partially into the buffer layer.

An Integrated-optical device in polymer technology, having a photoelement coupled onto an optical waveguide, with only the evanescent field components of the optical waveguide being coupled by an optical intermediate element into the photoelement, and wherein:

• the photoelement is incorporated into a polymeric upwardly closed cover plate;
• the cover plate is fitted exactly onto a base plate comprising a polymer layer having a light guiding optical waveguide;
• the intermediate element is an optical buffer layer disposed between the cover plate and the base plate;
• and the optical waveguide is produced in a base plate formed of organic polymer film;
• and the photosensitive side of the photoelement is adhesively attached by a higher-refractive-index transparent adhesive, which forms the buffer layer, directly onto the optical waveguide.

An Integrated-optical device in polymer technology, having a photoelement coupled onto an optical waveguide, with only the evanescent field components of the optical waveguide being coupled by an optical intermediate element into the photoelement, and wherein:

• the photoelement is incorporated into a polymeric upwardly closed cover plate;
• the cover plate is fitted exactly onto a base plate comprising a polymer layer having a light guiding optical waveguide;
• the intermediate element is an optical buffer layer disposed between the cover plate and the base plate;
• and the coupling distance is set via spacers arranged between the polymer base plate receiving the optical waveguide and the photoelement.

An Integrated-optical device in polymer technology, having a photoelement coupled onto an optical waveguide, with only the evanescent field components of the optical waveguide being coupled by an optical intermediate element into the photoelement, and wherein:

• the photoelement is incorporated into a polymeric upwardly closed cover plate;
• the cover plate is fitted exactly onto a base plate comprising a polymer layer having a light guiding optical waveguide;
• the intermediate element is an optical buffer layer disposed between the cover plate and the base plate;
• and the optical waveguide is encapsulated together with the coupled-on photoelement by a lower-refractive-index covering layer.