Opt Lett. 2018 Sep 1;43(17):4112-4115. doi: 10.1364/OL.43.004112.
We demonstrate compact, low-loss (<5 dB/cm) Parylene C photonic waveguides in a flexible, biocompatible, all-polymer platform suitable for implantable applications. The scattering loss due to the sidewall roughness resulting from the reactive ion etching of Parylene C was identified as the primary source of propagation loss. A fabrication process utilizing the conformal coating of Parylene C was developed to significantly reduce waveguide propagation loss (by more than 30 dB/cm). We also performed thermal annealing at 300°C to smoothen the sidewalls; however, it was found to adversely affect the waveguide performance.
我们展示了一种紧凑、低损耗（<5dB/cm）的聚对二甲苯 C 光子波导，它位于一个灵活、生物相容的全聚合物平台上，适用于可植入应用。由于聚对二甲苯 C 的反应离子刻蚀导致的侧壁粗糙度引起的散射损耗被确定为传播损耗的主要来源。开发了一种利用聚对二甲苯 C 保形涂层的制造工艺，可显著降低波导传播损耗（超过 30dB/cm）。我们还进行了 300°C 的热退火以平滑侧壁，但发现这会对波导性能产生不利影响。
