Mastering systems and methods of fabricating waveguides and waveguide devices using such mastering systems are described. Mastering systems for fabricating holographic waveguides can include using a master to control the application of energy (e.g. a laser, light, or magnetic beam) onto a liquid crystal substrate to fabricate a holographic waveguide into the liquid crystal substrate. Mastering systems for fabricating holographic waveguides in accordance with embodiments of the invention can include a variety of features. These features include, but are not limited to: chirp for single input beam copy (near i.e. hybrid contact copy), dual chirped gratings (for input and output), zero order grating for transmittance control, alignment reference gratings, 3:1 construction, position adjustment tooling to enable rapid alignment, optimization of lens and window thickness for multiple RKVs simultaneously, and avoidance of other orders and crossover of the diffraction beam.

An optical integrated circuit includes a substrate, at least one open cavity provided in said substrate, at least one set of optical waveguides for each open cavity, each set including a first optical waveguide and a second optical waveguide. The first and second optical waveguides are arranged in the substrate and include a first end facet ending in the open cavity of that set, and a first collimating element for each set. The first collimating element is arranged in the open cavity at or near the first end facet of the first optical waveguide to collimate light from that waveguide. A second collimating element for each set is arranged in the open cavity at or near the first end facet of the second optical waveguide to collimate light into that waveguide. A method for fabricating the same.

A system for forming a micro-truss structure including a reservoir having walls and a flat bottom configured to hold a volume of a liquid photomonomer configured to form a photopolymer when exposed to light, a partially transparent mask secured to, or being, the bottom of the reservoir, a release layer on the mask configured to resist adhesion by the photopolymer, and a blocker positioned a first distance below the mask. The system also includes a light source positioned below the blocker configured to produce collimated light suitable for causing conversion of the photomonomer into the photopolymer, and to which the blocker is opaque, and a first mirror, oblique to the blocker, configured to reflect the light from the light source around the blocker and through the mask and into the reservoir. The blocker is positioned to block a straight path of light from the light source to the mask.

The present invention relates to the use of dopants for polymer optical fibers or polymer waveguides containing the dopants, sensors in the polymer optical fibers or polymer waveguides, which may be used in the biomedical industry for the measurement of different physiological and physical variables.

A system for fabricating micro-truss structures. A reservoir holds a volume of a liquid photomonomer configured to polymerize to form a photopolymer when exposed to suitable light such as ultraviolet light. A mask at the bottom of the reservoir includes a plurality of apertures. Light enters the reservoir through each aperture from several directions, forming a plurality of self-guided photopolymer waveguides within the reservoir. The light is supplied by one or more sources of collimated light. A plurality of mirrors may reflect the light from a single source of collimated light to form a plurality of collimated beams, that illuminate the photomonomer in the reservoir, through the mask, from a corresponding plurality of directions, to form a micro-truss structure including a plurality of self-guided waveguide members.

An optical waveguide having a plurality of optical paths is formed on a substrate. A reflection mechanism is arranged above the optical waveguide. The reflection mechanism includes mirror components, each of which has an inclined reflective surface, and a mask having a plurality of openings. Laser is irradiated to the mirror components and optical path conversion inclined surfaces are formed in the plurality of optical paths at the same time by the laser reflected on the mirror components.

Inorganic siloxane ladder polymers with metal-aza/thio crown complexes, and methods of making and using such siloxane ladder polymers are disclosed. The polymers described herein may exhibit self-healing properties, a low dielectric constant, and a low refractive index. These siloxane ladder polymers are anchored to transparent, high-refractive index (RI) metal nanoparticles, such as ZrO.sub.2, via aza/thio crown macromolecules. The siloxane ladder polymers may be considered as living polymer network since the polymer active chain ends may further undergo anionic polymerization.

According to the present invention, a photosensitive resin composition for an optical waveguide contains a resin component and a photopolymerization initiator. The resin component has an absorbance of less than 0.03 as measured at 2960 cm.sup.1 by an attenuated total reflection measurement (ATR) method by means of a Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FT-IR), and includes a polymerizable substituent-containing resin as a main component. Where the inventive optical waveguide photosensitive resin composition is used as a material for the optical waveguide, particularly as a core layer formation material for the optical waveguide, it is possible to reduce a loss, for example, by avoiding vibrational absorption occurring at an optical waveguide transmission light wavelength of 850 nm due to a resin skeleton.

A system for fabricating micro-truss structures. A reservoir holds a volume of a liquid photomonomer configured to polymerize to form a photopolymer when exposed to suitable light such as ultraviolet light. A mask at the bottom of the reservoir includes a plurality of apertures. Light enters the reservoir through each aperture from several directions, forming a plurality of self-guided photopolymer waveguides within the reservoir. The light is supplied by one or more sources of collimated light. A plurality of mirrors may reflect the light from a single source of collimated light to form a plurality of collimated beams, that illuminate the photomonomer in the reservoir, through the mask, from a corresponding plurality of directions, to form a micro-truss structure including a plurality of self-guided waveguide members.

An ordered open-cellular carbon microstructure and a methods for forming the ordered open-cellular carbon microstructure capable of greatly improving the carbon yield (remaining mass % after carbonization) of an open-cellular polymer material. In one embodiment, the method starts with providing an ordered open-cellular polymer template material. The polymer template material is immersed in a reservoir containing a liquid monomer solution, wherein the liquid monomer solution swells the polymer material. Then the polymer template material is removed from the reservoir containing liquid monomer solution. Excess liquid monomer solution is removed from the polymer template material. The liquid monomer solution absorbed into the polymer template material is polymerized forming a copolymer material by irradiating the template material with ultraviolet (UV) light in a nitrogen environment. The copolymer material is heated in an inert atmosphere, wherein the copolymer material is carbonized resulting in the ordered open-cellular carbon microstructure.