Backplane, printed wiring board, and/or multi-chip module-level optical interconnect layer having embedded air-gap technologies and methods of fabrication

An optical interconnect layer, comprising:

• a first cladding layer;
• a second cladding layer;
• at least one optical dielectric waveguide having a waveguide core;
• and
• an air-gap cladding layer engaging a portion of waveguide core, wherein the first cladding layer and the second cladding layer engage the waveguide.

A method for monolithically fabricating an optical interconnect layer comprising:

• (a) disposing at least one waveguide core on a portion of a first cladding layer;
• (b) disposing a sacrificial layer onto at least one portion of the first cladding layer and a portion of the waveguide core;
• (c) disposing a second cladding layer onto the first cladding layer and the sacrificial layer;
• and
• (d) removing the sacrificial layer to define an air-gap cladding layer within the first cladding layer and the second cladding layer, and wherein the air-gap cladding engages a portion of the waveguide core.

A method for fabricating a device having an optical interconnect layer comprising:

• disposing at least one waveguide core on a portion of a first cladding layer;
• forming at least one volume grating coupler element adjacent the waveguide core;
• disposing a sacrificial layer onto at least one portion of the first cladding layer and a portion of the waveguide core;
• disposing a second cladding layer onto the first cladding layer and the sacrificial layer;
• removing the sacrificial layer to define an air-gap cladding layer within the first cladding layer and the second cladding layer, and wherein the air-gap cladding engages a portion of the waveguide core;
• and
• attaching the optical interconnect layer to a device chosen from a backplane, printed wiring board, and a multi-chip module.