| abstract |
A single mode optical waveguide which is lithographically formed and employs polymeric materials having low propagation loss. The optical waveguide has a substrate, a polymeric, buffer layer having an index of refraction n b disposed on a surface of the substrate, a patterned, light-transmissive core layer having an index of refraction n c disposed directly on a surface of the cladding layer, and an overcladding layer having an index of refraction n o on a top surface of the core, side walls of the core, and exposed portions of the buffer layer, with n b <n o <n c and Δn=n c −n o . |