FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PLANAR AND CHANNEL POLYMER WAVE-GUIDES .1. PLASMA-POLYMERIZED HMDS FILMS

Plasma-polymerized hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDS) films have been prepare d as both planar and channel wave guides. The optical attenuation resu lts measured in both the planar and channel HMDS wave guides were foun d to be similar, thus demonstrating that the inherent solvent resistan ce and chemical inertness of the plasma polymerized films allows the u se of common photoresist techniques, including application of the phot oresist, photomasking, and subsequent etching. This may be contrasted with wave guides made from conventional polymers, where careful consid eration must be given to photoresist/polymer compatibility, because th e photoresist solvents may adversely affect the underlying polymer and lead to degradation of the material during processing. (C) 1995 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.