SBIR/STTR Phase I: Innovative Integrated Optical Circuit Fabrication and Processing Techniques

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is to develop a method of fabricating integrated optical circuits (IOCs) using alternate waveguide materials (AWMs). Currently, IOCs comprise silica glass waveguides, and are patterned using an expensive, multi-step photolithography process in conjunction with high temperature deposition techniques. However, AWMs are associated with lower glass transition temperatures, and have the potential of patterning optical circuits through alternate printing methods, bypassing the photolithography process. This will dramatically reduce the complexity and hence the cost of photonic device manufacture. Another important advantage of AWMs is lower minimum attenuation levels, possibly one to two orders of magnitude lower than that of silica glass. This is critical for long waveguide applications such as integrated optic delay lines for telecommunications, integrated optic gyroscopes, and more sensitive chemical sensors. In addition, because some alternate materials can host rare earth elements, the development of AWMs has further applications for improved optical switches, amplifiers, and solid-state blue lasers. This project will establish the feasibility of fabricating optical circuits comprising AWMs. Improved fabrication of optical waveguide circuits has the immediate potential for integrated optic amplifiers, lossless splitters, and up conversion blue fiber lasers, essential to numerous commercial applications in optical storage, color printing, and projection, up converters, isolators and fluorescent coolers, as well as convenient, low-cost solid-state laser sources for the laboratory.