Direct laser-writing of polymer structures for optical interconnects on backplane printed circuit boards

We have previously developed a direct UV-laser-writing technique and custom photo-polymer optimised to form multimode polymer waveguides and embedded 45° out-of-plane mirrors. In the IeMRC funded "Integrated Optical and Electronic Interconnect PCB Manufacturing" (OPCB) project the key aim is to explore how these techniques can be extended to suit real-world optical backplane applications - both in the context of scale and manufacturability. In particular, we are assessing the viability of the technique for writing polymer optical waveguides of approximately 50 x 50 µm in cross-section over large metre-scale areas and the compatibility of this optical interconnect approach with existing PCB manufacturing processes. ©2008 IEEE.