Facet polishing technique for polymer on glass optical waveguide

Abstract

A new technique of end facet polishing for polymer on glass optical waveguide is presented. The technique is based on the combination of mechanical and chemical polishing and the process is worked on the grinding and polishing machine. The process starts with the waveguide cutting followed by the facet's grinding. Three sizes of silicon carbide (SiC) were used; 240 grit, 800 grit and 1200 grit. The process ends with the three steps of chemical polishing which is based on diamond paste compound. Based on the said processes, the waveguide samples are shown to produce excellent facets quality when physically inspected under the high power microscope and scanning electron microscope.