(100e) Optical Interconnects on a Flexible Substrate Utilizing Additive Manufacturing Tools

The integration of flexible photonic components into flexible electronics provides new opportunities for applications in imaging, sensing, and optical interconnection between devices. While most photonic devices are currently printed on rigid substrates, their integration on flexible polymer substrates has also been demonstrated in recent years. However, current technology of contact and non-contact processes limits the type and performance of optical devices on these flexible substrates and requires special processes or product design to get the entry and exit of optical interconnect end facets out of the substrate plane. Here, we show that by utilizing recent advances in additive manufacturing, we can print photonic interconnects directly on flexible substrates.