Direct patterning of high refractive index optical materials for photonic applications

HighRI Optics reports the development of a polymer with a high refractive index (n = 1.80) and high optical transparency for direct patterning applications. The polymer can be ultraviolet curable and contains no metal oxide fillers. It is one of the polymers with the highest refractive index value available amongst commercial filler-free materials. This new polymer can be patterned via photolithography and electron beam lithography, becoming the first high refractive index polymer with capabilities as a negative tone resist. These properties allow fast and easy prototyping and manufacturing of high refractive index optical devices, including microlens arrays, photonic integrated circuits, etc.