Waveguide device and method for production thereof

• US 5,694,513 A
• Filed: 12/26/1995
• Issued: 12/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft (Sanofi )
• Original Assignee: Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft (Sanofi )
• Inventors: Okaniwa, Kaoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Palmer, Phan T. H.
• Application Number:
  US08/578,454
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 385/143, 385/141, 385/142, 385/144, 385/145, 385/123, 385/129
• US Class Current: 385/143
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 73/1039 comprising halogen-containing substituents
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 79/08 Polyimides; Polyester-imides; Polyamide-imides; Polyamide acids or similar polyimide precursors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/045 Light guides
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/1219 Polymerisation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/13 Integrated optical circuits characterised by the manufacturing method

Abstract

A waveguide device comprising at least a waveguiding layer, a cladding layer and, optionally, an adhesion-enhancing layer is disclosed. By using specific fluorinated polyimides as materials for each of the layers of the waveguide device, the process for producing the waveguide device is simplified, the production cost is reduced, and the flexibility is imparted to the waveguide device, which are not achieved in a quartz-type waveguide. Also, a single mode, a low loss at 1.3 micron band and a high moisture-resistance which are not achieved by conventional plastic-type waveguide are possible.

Claims

1. A waveguide device comprising at least a waveguiding layer and a cladding layer, wherein the waveguiding layer comprises a photosensitive fluorinated polyimide having one or more repeating units of the following formula I:

##STR11## wherein R¹ is any one of the groups of the following formula II;

##STR12## R² is any one of the groups of the following formula III;

##STR13## X is any one group independently selected from the groups of the following formula IV;

##STR14## wherein each of the groups Rf, R'"'"'f and R"f is any one of the groups independently selected from the groups of the following formula V;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Rf=CF.sub.3, --H, --F and--R.sup.0 ;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R'"'"'f=--CF.sub.3, and --F;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R"f=--CF.sub.2 -- V

wherein R⁰ is a photosensitive group, and at least one of Rf in R² of the formula III is R⁰.

2. A waveguide device according to claim 1, wherein R⁰ is selected from an acryloyl group, a cinnamoyl group, a cinnamylidene group, a chalcone residual group, an isocoumalin residual group, a 2,5-dimethoxystilbene residual group, a styrylpyridium residual group, a thymine residual group, an a-phenylmaleimido group, an anthracene residual group, a 2-pyrone residual group, an o-naphthoquinonediazide residual group, an o-naphthoquinonediazide sulfonic acid group, and, in the presence of a photoacid generating agent, a glycidiyl group.

3. A waveguide device according to claim 1 wherein the waveguiding layer consists of the photosensitive fluorinated polyimide.

4. A waveguide device according to claim 1, wherein said polyimide comprises from 2 to 500 repeating units of formula I.

5. A waveguide device according to claim 1, wherein said polyimide comprises from 5 to 200 repeating units of formula I.

6. A waveguide device according to claim 1, wherein said polyimide comprises from 10 to 100 repeating units of formula I.

7. A waveguide device comprising at least a waveguiding layer and a cladding layer wherein the cladding layer comprises fluorinated polyimides having one or more repeating units of the following formula VI:

##STR15## wherein R¹ is any one of the groups of the following formula II;

##STR16## R² is any one of the groups of the following formula III;

##STR17## X is any one group independently selected from the groups of the following formula IV;

##STR18## wherein each of the groups Rf, R'"'"'f and R"f is any one of the groups independently selected from the groups of the following formula V;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Rf=CF.sub.3, --H, --F and --R.sup.0 ;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R'"'"'f=--CF.sub.3, and --F;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R"f=--CF.sub.2 -- V

wherein R⁰ is a photosensitive group, with the proviso that none of Rf in R² may be the photosensitive group R⁰.

8. A waveguide device according to claim 7, wherein R⁰ is selected from an acryloyl group, a cinnamoyl group, a cinnamylidene group, a chalcone residual group, an isocoumalin residual group, a 2,5-dimethoxystilbene residual group, a styrylpyridium residual group, a thymine residual group, an a-phenylmaleimido group, an anthracene residual group, a 2-pyrone residual group, an o-naphthoquinonediazide residual group, an o-naphthoquinonediazide sulfonic acid group, and, in the presence of a photoacid generating agent, a glycidiyl group.

9. A waveguide device according to claim 7, wherein said polyimide comprises from 2 to 500 repeating units of formula I.

10. A waveguide device according to claim 7, wherein the cladding layer consists of the fluorinated polyimides.

11. A waveguide device according to claim 7, wherein said polyimide comprises from 5 to 200 repeating units of formula I.

12. A waveguide device comprising at least a waveguiding layer, a cladding layer and an adhesion-enhancing layer, wherein the adhesion-enhancing layer comprises siloxane-modified fluorinated polyimides having one or more repeating units of the formula VII:

##STR19## wherein R¹ any one of the groups of the following formula II;

##STR20## R² is any one of the groups of the following formula III;

##STR21## X is any one group independently selected from the groups of the following formula IV;

##STR22## wherein each of the groups Rf, R'"'"'f and R"f is any one of the groups independently selected from the groups of the following formula V;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Rf=CF.sub.3, --H, --F and --R.sup.0 ;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R'"'"'f=--CF.sub.3, and --F;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R"f=--CF.sub.2 -- V

wherein R⁰ is a photosensitive group, and at least one R² in the repeating units is a group of the formula VIII;

##STR23## wherein R is an alkyl group, with the proviso that none of Rf in R² may be the photosensitive group R⁰.

13. A waveguide device according to claim 12, wherein R⁰ is selected from an acryloyl group, a cinnamoyl group, a cinnamylidene group, a chalcone residual group, an isocoumalin residual group, a 2,5-dimethoxystilbene residual group, a styrylpyridium residual group, a thymine residual group, an a-phenylmaleimido group, an anthracene residual group, a 2-pyrone residual group, an o-naphthoquinonediazide residual group, an o-naphthoquinonediazide sulfonic acid group, and, in the presence of a photoacid generating agent, a glycidiyl group.

14. A waveguide device according to claim 12, wherein said polyimide comprises from 2 to 500 repeating units of formula I.

15. A waveguide device according to claim 12 wherein the adhesion-enhancing layer consists of the siloxane-modified fluorinated polyimides.

16. A waveguide device according to claim 12, wherein said polyimide comprises from 5 to 200 repeating units of formula I.

17. A method for producing a waveguide device which comprises dissolving a low molecular weight additive which is capable of reacting with a photosensitive group of the photosensitive fluorinated polyimide of formula I:

##STR24## wherein R¹ is any one of the groups of the following formula II;

##STR25## R² is any one of the groups of the following formula III;

##STR26## X is any one group independently selected from the groups of the following formula IV;

##STR27## wherein each of the groups Rf, R'"'"'f and R"f is any one of the groups independently selected from the groups of the following formula V;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Rf=CF.sub.3, --H, --F and --R.sup.0 ;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R'"'"'f=--CF.sub.3, and --F;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">R"f=--CF.sub.2 -- V

wherein R⁰ is a photosensitive group, and at least one of Rf in R² of the formula III is R⁰ in a solution of said polyimide in a solvent to obtain a coating solution, applying the resulting coating solution on a substrate, evaporating the solvent, exposing the coated substrate to light through a photomask having a waveguide pattern, removing the additive in the unexposed area by heating to produce a difference in the refractive index between the exposed area and the unexposed area to form a waveguide channel.

18. A waveguide device according to claim 17, wherein R⁰ is selected from an acryloyl group, a cinnamoyl group, a cinnamylidene group, a chalcone residual group, an isocoumalin residual group, a 2,5-dimethoxystilbene residual group, a styrylpyridium residual group, a thymine residual group, an a-phenylmaleimido group, an anthracene residual group, a 2-pyrone residual group, an o-naphthoquinonediazide residual group, an o-naphthoquinonediazide sulfonic acid group, and, in the presence of a photoacid generating agent, a glycidiyl group.

19. A waveguide device according to claim 17, wherein said polyimide comprises from 2 to 500 repeating units of formula I.

20. A waveguide device according to claim 17, wherein said polyimide comprises from 5 to 200 repeating units of formula I.