High-performance polymers for optical interconnect applications at 3M

Though seldom seen in the optical path of a fiber-optic communications system, polymers have always played an important role in protecting, aligning and joining optical fibers and components. In this paper we describe these uses of polymers and explore possible future applications where polymers will play more central functions. We foresee the use of polymers as encapsulants and adhesives, high-performance and low cost packaging materials, and waveguides for data communications systems.