FORMING POLYMER OPTICAL DEVICES BY MOLD-CONSTRAINED RELAXATION EXPANSION

摘要

A method of making a waveguiding optical component includes processing a polymer optical material to form a billet having an axis of light transmission and having residual stress maintaining a transverse extent of the billet; placing the billet into a mold, the mold being configured to constrain transverse expansion of the billet according to a desired shape of the waveguiding optical component; and heating the billet in the mold to induce relaxation of the residual stress and corresponding transverse expansion of the billet, thereby forming the billet into the waveguiding optical component with the desired shape. An alternative method begins with a collection of individual canes or fiber segments which are fused during the heating process, bypassing a separate process of forming a billet.