Polyalkylsilyne photodefined thin-film optical waveguides

Polysilynes, a new class of amorphous alkyl silicon network polymers, undergo a novel photo-oxidative crosslinking reaction associated with up to a 15% decrease in refractive index related to the loss of SiSi bonding. We describe the fabrication and initial measurements of waveguides formed with this index imaging technique in poly(cyclohexylsilyne) films on both SiO2 and poly(methyl methacrylate)-coated silicon wafers. Measurements of multimode guides show typical propagation losses of 0.68 dB/cm at 633 nm. Results indicate the polyalkylsilynes show promise as self-developing, planar optical waveguide media.