US 6,496,637 B2 · Low optical loss polymers

Abstract

A fluorinated polymerizable compound useful for fabricating planar optical devices includes at least one fluorinated alkylene or alkylene ether moiety and at least two terminal acrylate moieties, each terminal acrylate moiety being connected to one of the fluorinated alkylene or fluorinated alklene ether moieties by an ester linking group. The fluorinated polymerizable compounds, or macromers, of this invention are useful for forming optical components exhibiting a refractive index comparable to that of glass fiber waveguides, while also exhibiting very low absorption losses. Polymerizable compositions suitable for preparing optical components can be prepared by combining the macromers of the invention with a photoinitiator. Conventional optical monomers may also be employed, if desired.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A planar waveguide device, comprising:

an undercladding layer;
a patterned core layer;
and
an overcladding layer, the undercladding layer and overcladding layer having refractive indicies less than that of the patterned core layer, the undercladding layer and overcladding layer surrounding the patterned core layer;
at least one of the undercladding layer, patterned core layer, and overcladding layer being a polymer or copolymer of a polymerizable compound including at least one fluorinated alkylene or fluorinated alkylene ether moiety, at least two terminal acrylate moieties, each terminal acrylate moiety being connected to one fluorinated alkylene or fluorinated alkylene ether moiety by an ester linking group, and at least two additional ester linkages.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Low optical loss polymers

Life of this patent

Low optical loss polymers

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11