Evaluating polyimides as lightguide materials

Toward Improved Optical Transparency of Polyimide Aerogels

Highly translucent polyimide aerogels were prepared by combining equimolar amounts of pyromellitic dianhydride, 4,4'-hexafluoroisopropylidene di(phthalic anhydride) (6FDA), and 2,2'-dimethylbenzidine and cross-linking with 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride. A multivariable statistical design of experiments was used to perform a comparison study between three variables used to fabricate the aerogels: formulated repeat unit (n) of polyimide oligomers, 6FDA fraction of total dianhydride (0-50 mol %), and total polymer concentration in solution (7-10 wt %). Polymers with 25 mol % 6FDA in the backbone structure were found to produce polyimide aerogels with high optical transmission and low haze. These aerogels also possessed higher surface areas and very narrow nanoscale pore size distribution. Because of the decreased thermal conductivity with increasing amount of 6FDA in the backbone, these aerogels may find use where the combination of high optical transparency and thermal impedance is desired, such as insulated window panes. To this end, future efforts will focus on reducing the yellow color of the polyimide aerogels.

High Transparency and Thermal Stability of Alicyclic Polyimide with Crosslinking Structure by Triallylamine

Colorless alicyclic polyimides (ALPIs) were synthesized from an alicyclic dianhydride, bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-ene-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BCDA) and an aromatic diamine, 3,4'-oxydianiline (3,4'-ODA). For comparison, a series of crosslinkable ALPI membranes with different content of crosslinkable reagents were prepared. The crosslinkable PI reacts with the crosslinkers and forms covalent bond to create the crosslink structure between PI backbones by free radical reaction. Almost of the crosslinkable PIs exhibit excellent dimensional stability and higher transparency because of the crosslink structure and non-conjugate alicyclic chain. All of the crosslink ALPIs could be coated into flexible and tough films. They had a UV-Vis cut-off at 297 nm and a transmittance of higher than 80% in near ultraviolet region. These PIs show low coefficient of thermal expansion ranging from 57.36 to 47.53 ppm/°C, the glass transition temperature in the range of 336.2-333.0 °C, the decomposition temperature in the range of 433.7-440.0 °C. The crosslinkable ALPIs show excellent optical properties with the excited wavelength ranging from 340 to 328 nm and stronger emission intensity than linear PI, the haze lower than 0.7, the refractive index about 1.6 and the abbe numbers over 165.

Low Stress, High Resolution Photosensitive Polyimide Based on a BPDA/PDA/6FDAm Copolymer

A novel series of BPDA/PDA/6FDAm polyimide copolymers have been developed. These materials are more flexible, soluble, and more optically transparent than the homopolymer BPDA/PDA. A negative acting PSPI has been developed based on one of these copolymers. This PSPI exhibits high resolution. 6 μm lines can be delineated in a 19 μm thick film. In addition, the PSPI exhibits high performance mechanical/physical properties such as a low CTE, low stress, and high elongation at break.

Stretch-orientation of LaRC™ RP50 Polyimide Film

An addition-curable poly(amic acid) film was subjected to various thermal pretreatments and then to uniaxial or biaxial drawing. Hot-stretching to 300% of the initial length produced better than twofold increases in tensile modulus and strength of partially-cured films. Most of the improvement was maintained upon completion of the curing at constant length.

Optimized design of polarization-independent and temperature-insensitive broadband optical waveguide coupler by use of fluorinated polyimide

A statistically optimized design method suitable for a polariation-independent and temperature-insensitive broadband waveguide coupler is proposed. By use of this method, a fluorinated polyimide waveguide 3-dB waveguide coupler for 1490 to approximately 1610 nm application is designed by optimizing polarization and temperature fluctuation. The validity of the design is verified through simulation based on the three-dimensional beam propagation method (3D-BPM), which revealed a coupling ratio of 50 +/- 0.8% in a 120-nm bandwidth in the temperature range -10 to 40 degrees C for both orthogonal polarizations.

Optimized design of fluorinated polyimide based interleaver

Statistical optimization method for the design of a fluorinated polyimide wavelength division element for optical communication is proposed. The opitimized device is an interleaver element suitable for dividing over 40 wavelengths in the 1550 nm band. Optimization considers the inherent polarization dependence of fluorinated polyimide based on measurements of the dispersion characteristics and birefringence of fluorinated polyimide film. A 40-wavelength device is designed by use of the proposed technique for a working wavelength of 1550 nm and a wavelength interval of 0.8 nm. The device exhibited a 1-dB passband of 0.5 nm and a 3-dB passband of 0.8 nm, and output wavelength fluctuation due to polarization effects of less than 0.08 nm.

Optimized design of temperature-insensitive optical waveguide coupler with 120-nm bandwidth using fluorinated polyimide

Method for designing optimized temperature-insensitive optical waveguide couplers by use of fluorinated polyimide is presented. Based on measured temperature and dispersion characteristics of fluorinated polyimide, a 3-dB waveguide coupler with a 120-nm bandwidth with minimal temperature variance is designed and verified through simulation based on three-dimensional beam propagation. The coupling ratio of the theoretical device is 50 +/- 0.7% in the waveband 1490 to approximately 1610 nm and the temperature range -10 to approximately 40 degrees C.

Analysis of cross-polarization dynamics between two abundant nuclei, (19)F and (1)H, based on spin thermodynamics theory

The phenomenological theory of spin thermodynamics based on the spin temperature hypothesis was employed to describe the cross-polarization (CP) dynamics between two abundant nuclei, (19)F and (1)H, when the number of fluorine atoms is not substantially less than the number of hydrogens. The influence of T(1rho)'s of both nuclei and the relative magnitude (heat capacity) of the two spin baths must be incorporated explicitly into the analysis in order to derive values for the parameters involved in the CP dynamics. Numerical calculations were performed to clarify the difference in the evolution of magnetization in variable contact time CP experiments between the (1)H --> (13)C and (1)H --> (19)F cases. A new type of CP-drain experiment was developed for observing the residual (1)H magnetization after (1)H --> (19)F CP. (19)F direct polarization magic-angle spinning (MAS), (1)H --> (19)F CP, and (1)H --> (19)F CP-drain MAS NMR spectra have been measured for a fluorinated polyimide, 6FDA/ODA. The CP dynamics between (1)H and (19)F for the polyimide were analyzed on the basis of the spin thermodynamics theory. The constant for polarization transfer (T(HF)) was determined by the analysis using the effective CP parameters, which were directly obtained from the CP and CP-drain experiments, together with independently measured values of T(H)(1rho) and T(F)(1rho). Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Heat-resistant flexible-film optical waveguides from fluorinated polyimides

Heat-resistant flexible-film optical waveguides were fabricated from fluorinated polyimides. These waveguides operated in single mode and had low optical loss (0.3 dB/cm) at a wavelength of 1.3 microm for TE and TM polarizations. They also had good flexibility: The optical loss did not significantly change above a minimum radius of curvature of less than 20 mm. The birefringence of 9 x 10(-5) between the TE and TM polarizations is 2 orders of magnitude smaller than that for a waveguide upon a substrate. Moreover, these waveguides had high thermal stability and moisture resistance: The optical loss and single-mode behavior changed little after heating the waveguides at 420 degrees C for 1 h or after their exposure to 85% relative humidity at 85 degrees C for more than 350 h.

Fabrication Technique of a Nonlinear Optical Structure Using Optical Polymeric Films by Direct Electron-beam Irradiation

A simple fabrication technique of nonlinear optical structures for use with dye-doped polymer is described. Polymethylmethacrylate, U-100 polymer, and polystyrene were used as the host matrices to fabricate the nonlinear optical waveguide. The periodically poled nonlinear optical polymer structures and ridge-type channel structures were fabricated by direct electron-beam irradiation. The electron beam with 25 kV of energy was exposed directly onto the polymer films containing the nonlinear optical chromophores. We can also demonstrate the fabrication technique of the domain-inverted grating of dye-doped polystyrene film.

Single-mode optical waveguides fabricated from fluorinated polyimides

Buried channel optical waveguides were fabricated from fluorinated polyimides. They operated in single mode and showed an optical loss of less than 0.3 and 0.7 dB/cm for TE and TM polarizations, respectively, at a wavelength of 1.3 mum. Moreover, these waveguides had high heat and moisture resistance; the optical loss did not significantly change after heating at 380 degrees C for 1 h or after exposure to 85% relative humidity at 85 degrees C for over 200 h.

Selective optical detection of n-heptaney/iso-octane vapors by polyimide lightguides

The optical anisotropy of planar polyimide lightguides in an atmosphere of n-heptaney/iso-octane is investigated in a transient experiment for pure and several mixed-vapor concentrations. The polymer sensor responds only to n-heptane and not to iso-octane vapors. However, the presence of the latter affects the dynamic behavior of the waveguide anisotropy, which can be fitted by a stretched exponential time dependence. The saturation values of the birefringence are an absolute measure for the n-heptane concentration and are not affected by the presence of the iso-octane vapors.

Channel-optical-waveguide fabrication based on electron-beam irradiation of polyimides

A new-channel-waveguide-fabrication process for use with polyimide is described. The new technique uses an electron-beam-induced effect to alter the refractive index of the polyimides directly. Channel waveguides with an 8-µm-wide, 8-µm-deep core have been fabricated on a polyimide film by the use of electron-beam irradiation. Only one kind of polyimide (6FDA/TFDB) was used in this waveguide. The difference in refractive index between the core and the cladding was approximately 0.30% for both TEand TM-polarized incident light when the dose was 1500 µC/cm(2), which was sufficient to produce waveguides. The optical properties of the waveguide are also demonstrated.

Measuring humidity with planar polyimide light guides

Planar polyimide light guides can be used for optical detection of humidity. In a phase-matched guide a TE mode and a TM mode of different orders are influenced differently by a humid atmosphere. With crossed polarizers a phase shift induced by the moisture is detectable in the form of an oscillating output signal. For fully cured and thus well-defined and stable fluorinated polyimide light guides a sensitivity curve is presented for the humidity range of 10-75% relative humidity. A special sensitivity is obtained by using a four-layer waveguide arrangement with two layers of polyimide. The shift of the effective mode indices is also measured for each polarization by using a half-integrated interferometer. The results are interpreted in terms of a refractive-index increase that is due to water indiffusion and a swelling process for higher humidities. The measurement in the waveguide interferometer required a moisture-insensitive coating of the reference channel. This was achieved by the use of fluorinated polymers.

Photogeneration of refractive-index patterns in doped polyimide films

A photosensitive benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhyride-alkylated diamine polyimide formulation has been evaluated for application in an optical interconnection area. The refractive-index patterns in this material were optically recorded by UV-assisted photodoping of sensitizers. The polyimide films were selectively doped with benzoin-type photosensitizers such as benzildimethylketal and benzoin ethyl ether, which cause a decrease in the refractive index. High-dose UV irradiation that causes cross linking of the polyimide chains was also employed for augmenting the refractive-index difference to 0.017 between the doped and undoped regions. Refractive-index variations and lightguiding properties were investigated as a function of doping concentrations and other processing conditions. The author utilized this technique for the fabrication of embedded polyimide channel waveguides. The two photosensitizers have different effects on the waveguiding characteristics of the polyimide films. Losses for benzoin ethyl ether remained low whereas doping with benzildimethylketal caused significant increase in the waveguiding loss at high doping concentrations. Near-field imaging of the output from such waveguides shows good confinement of 815-nm light.