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Low loss HEMA/EMA copolymer waveguides with a range of wetting and optical properties
Author(s) -
Walker D. S.,
Balasubramanian K.,
Reichert W. M.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1993.070491211
Subject(s) - copolymer , materials science , wetting , methacrylate , refractive index , polymer , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , polymer chemistry , contact angle , attenuated total reflection , swelling , composite material , optics , chemical engineering , infrared , optoelectronics , physics , engineering
Homopolymers and copolymers of optical grade hydroxyethyl methacryiate (HEMA) and ethyl methacrylate (EMA) were synthesized with bulk copolymer compositions of 0, 10, 43, 75, 86, 89, and 100 mol % HEMA. Attenuated total reflection IR (ATR‐IR) and X‐ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopies showed an unhydrated surface composition that varied insignificantly from the bulk. Polymer surface wettability, percent swelling of the copolymers in water, and the bulk refractive index increased with increasing HEMA content. High‐quality thin‐film integrated optical waveguides (IOW) were spun cast from copolymer solutions with propagation losses of < 1 dB/cm. Waveguide refractive indices determined from coupling angle measurements agreed closely with the bulk measurements. These results show that HEMA/EMA copolymers that form transparent films produce polymer IOWs with a range of bulk swellabilities, surface wettabilities, and optical densities. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.