Flexible waveguides composed of PDMS based elastomer by pen-drawing technique for printable optics

Super-PDMS with solvent dispersibility promises flexible PDMS-based waveguides in both the cladding and the core. The PDMS can fabricate a micro ~ submicron scale structure easily like waveguide by wet process, as oppose to conventional PDMS which uses imprinting to create microstructures. The refractive index of the PDMS is about 0.1 higher than that of conventional one. Super PDMS solutions dispersed in 1,2 dichloroethane solvent maintained transparent crystals in spontaneous drying after drawing, even at a high concentration of 15 wt.%. A flexible PDMS waveguide with a conventional PDMS cladding and a super PDMS core propagated light even with a waveguide bend radius of 2.5 mm, which is smaller than the minimum bend radius of a typical optical fiber.