Method of making a polymeric optical waveguide device provided with fibre ends, and free-standing, flexible waveguide sheets used therein

Abstract

The invention relates to a pigtailing method, i.e., the invention provides an optical device comprising a substrate on which are integrated a layered optical waveguide component (3) and optical fiber ends (13). The optical fiber ends are positioned in grooves (10). The method involves providing a substrate (7) comprising grooves (10), notably V-shaped grooves, with a separately made optical waveguide component (3). The component (3) is made on separate flat substrate (1), and released by virtue of a releasable layer (2) present on the flat substrate (1). An advantageous releasable layer is made of a water-soluble salt. The invention also pertains to flexible waveguide sheets such (3) as can be used in the above method or, if provided with waveguide channels (12), as a flexible waveguide component themselves.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.