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Screen-printed polymer waveguides for integrated optics

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Abstract

We demonstrate screen printing of polymer waveguides on rigid and flexible substrates. The waveguides are characterized by optical microscopy and propagation losses are determined by cut-back measurements. Furthermore, the efficiency of light coupling using fluorescent molecules within the waveguides is measured with regard to the application feasibility in sensor systems. It is shown that minimum propagation losses of 0.74 dB/cm can be reached with this low-cost printing technique.

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Acknowledgments

Helga Reischl, Martin Tscherner and Wolfgang Sprengel for help with the rheological measurements, the screen printing and profilometric measurements, respectively. Financial support by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) in the framework of the Austrian Nano Initiative (Research Project Cluster 0700—Integrated Organic Sensor and optoelectronics Technologies) is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Materials, Joanneum Research GesmbH, Steyrergasse 17, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Martin Sagmeister, Bernhard Lamprecht, Elke Kraker, Stefan Köstler & Volker Ribitsch

  2. Institute of Physics and Erwin Schrödinger Institute for Nanoscale Research, Karl-Franzens Universität Graz, Universitätsplatz 5, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Nicole Galler, Harald Ditlbacher & Joachim R. Krenn

  3. Institute of Analytical Chemistry and Food Chemistry, Graz University of Technology, Stremayrgasse 9, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Birgit Ungerböck, Tobias Abel & Torsten Mayr

Authors
  1. Martin Sagmeister
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  2. Bernhard Lamprecht
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  3. Elke Kraker
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  4. Stefan Köstler
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  5. Volker Ribitsch
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  6. Nicole Galler
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  7. Harald Ditlbacher
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  8. Joachim R. Krenn
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  9. Birgit Ungerböck
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  10. Tobias Abel
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  11. Torsten Mayr
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Correspondence to Torsten Mayr.

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Sagmeister, M., Lamprecht, B., Kraker, E. et al. Screen-printed polymer waveguides for integrated optics. Appl. Phys. B 111, 647–650 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-013-5391-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-013-5391-8

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