Garo Khanarian

High performance encapsulants for ultra high-brightness LEDs

The performance requirements for packaging ultra high-brightness LEDs are extremely demanding. These include high continuous use temperatures and light fluxes. Polymer encapsulants play a critical role in the extraction of light, as a host medium for the phosphors to convert blue to white light, and as capping lenses. Encapsulants must also meet critical requirements for viscosity, modulus, and optical transmission under varying environmental conditions, while having a high refractive index to maximize device efficiency. We describe the development of robust one-pot encapsulants having refractive indices of 1.57 and greater than 1.6. These encapsulants are stable at 200 °C for time periods greater than 4 weeks.

Hybrid inorganic-organic aqueous base compatible waveguide materials for optical interconnect applications

There are a number of organic, inorganic, and hybrid inorganic waveguide materials that are currently being used for a wide variety of optical interconnect applications. Depending upon the approach, waveguide formation is performed using a combination of lithographic and/or reactive ion etch (RIE) techniques. Often the processes involved with waveguide formation require unique processing conditions, hazardous process chemicals, and specialized pieces of capital equipment. In addition, many of the materials have been optimized for silicon substrates but are not compatible with printed wire board (PWB) substrates and processes. We have developed compositions and processes suitable for the creation of optical, planar waveguides on both silicon and PWB substrates. Based on silicate technology, these compositions use lithographic techniques to define waveguides, including aqueous, alkaline development. The resulting planar waveguides take advantage of the glass-like nature of silicate chemistry wedded with the simplicity of standard lithographic processes. Attenuation at typical wavelengths has been found to compete well with the non-silicate-based technologies available today. Single-mode (SM) and multi-mode (MM) waveguides with losses ranging from 0.6 dB/cm @ 1550nm, 0.2 dB/cm @1320nm, and <0.1 @ 850nm are feasible. Composition, process, and physical properties such as optical, thermal and mechanical properties will be discussed.

Progress toward the development of manufacturable integrated optical data buses

The drive to faster data transmission speeds, more integration, smaller form factors and higher signal integrity all favor the eventual adoption of optical transmission schemes in data buses. This contribution will discuss emerging technologies from Shipley Company, LLC to address the needs of optoelectronic signal transmission. In particular, the discussion will focus on materials and processes that are in development to function within existing printed circuit board (PCB) & microelectronic manufacturing schemes. One topic that is described in detail involves photo-patternable, polymer interconnect technologies. Another topic describes progress in Shipley’s ability to integrate these interconnects into prototypical PCB processes. Progress in connecting the planar waveguides to connectorization schemes will be also be described. Other topics include lithographic and patterning metrics, optical characteristics of interconnects, morphological features of patterned waveguides, integration and coupling considerations, thermal and mechanical properties of the system and general assembly processes..

Recent developments in high-ΔN waveguides

Results are presented on ultra low refractive index materials that can be used as low optical loss cladding materials for high ΔN waveguides. The porous materials are made by templating and removing nano size organic particles from a matrix. Calculations are presented for the scattering from such materials both in the bulk phase and also at the core cladding interface. The optical losses in tight turning high ΔN single mode waveguides are also calculated.