Fabrication of large-core 1 x 16 optical power splitters in polymers using hot-embossing process

Large-core (42 /spl times/43 /spl mu/m) 1/spl times/16 optical power splitters in polymers have been fabricated. Y-branch waveguide structures with and without offsets in the arc-bending regions were designed by the beam propagation method software and molded by a silicon-mold master using a hot-embossing process. The optical power splitters were produced by epoxy core filling and ultraviolet curing processes. The average insertion losses at a wavelength of 850 nm were measured to be 19.8 dB with offset and 17.1 dB without offset, respectively. The maximum uniformities were 3.3 dB with offset and 3.9 dB without offset, respectively.