Polymeric waveguides with embedded micromirrors formed by Metallic Hard Mold

In this paper, we presented fabrication of nickel based metal mold with 45 degrees tilted surfaces on both ends of the channel waveguide through electroplating process. To obtain a precise 45 degrees tilted angle, a 50 mu m thick SU-8 layer was UV exposed under de-ionized water, with repeatable error control of 0.5 degrees. The polymeric waveguide array with 45 degrees micromirrors, which is formed by a UV imprinting method with the fabricated metallic mold, shows total insertion losses around 4dB, propagation loss around 0.18dB/cm and 75% coupling efficiency. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America