Fabrication of 32×32 Arrayed Waveguide Grating Using Fluorinated Polymers

We investigate the optical properties of ZIP49 and ZIP51. The thickness and the refractive index of the polymer film are measured using an ellipsometer to be from 2μm to 10μm and from 1.49 to 1.51, respectively. A 32×32 arrayed waveguide grating is fabricated using the reactive ion etching technique. The curing temperature is increased to 270°C in nitrogen atmosphere. The etching rate is about 0.067μm/min. Using re-solution technique, the surface roughness of polymer film was reduced to less than 0.4nm after spin coating. The insertion loss of the arrayed waveguide grating is about 10dB and the crosstalk is about -20dB.