Flexible photonics in low stiffness doped silica for use in fibre reinforced polymer composite materials

The production of a flexible photonic device in doped silica with a Young's modulus that is significantly less than that of traditional silica glass is described. Here the purpose of reducing the modulus is to make planar sensors more applicable for integration into fibre reinforced polymer composite structures. The flexible planar substrate (58 μm thick) consists of three doped silica layers, fabricated using sacrificial silicon wafer processing. It is demonstrated that a Young's modulus of around 40 GPa can be achieved in comparison to a value above 70 GPa for typical silica glass. The optical response of a few mode waveguide that is direct UV written within the central core layer of the flexible glass platform is described. The mechanical stiffness of the platform is determined using nano-indentation tests and confirmed in mechanical tests that demonstrate clearly the flexible nature of the platform. To assess usability for applications integrated into structures undergoing mechanical loading the fatigue lifetime for one million bending cycles is investigated. No degradation to the optical response was observed under the performed testing. •Demonstration of a new flexible photonic substrate in multi-layer doped silica.•1,000,000 cycle fatigue testing demonstrating practical usability.•Ultra-low Youngs modulus for doped silica (i.e. low stiffness glass).•Physically machined Flame Hydrolysis Deposition planar waveguides.