Long Free-Standing Polymer Waveguides Fabricated Between Single-Mode Optical Fiber Cores

Polymer waveguides with different lengths have been fabricated between two singlemode fibers by using a new approach of self- writing using single photon polymerization via a xenon lamp instead of a monochromatic laser source. A photopolymerizable liquid drop deposited between two aligned fibers forms a polymer bridge between the cores of the two fibers when irradiated by light from one of the fibers. Polymer waveguides bridges 40 to 600 mu m long have been fabricated between two optical fibers with single mode transmission loss 0.5 to 1.26 dB over a broad wavelength range.