Influence of humidity on refractive index of polymers for optical waveguide and its temperature dependence

Humidity dependence of the refractive index of deuterated polymethylmethacylate (d-PMMA) is examined at a wavelength of 1.3 μm using the return loss method. The refractive index of d-PMMA increases as humidity increases at room temperature, while it decreases as humidity increases at temperatures higher than 60 °C. This humidity dependence was ascribed to the counterbalance between moisture sorption and swelling. Some hydrophobic polymers, such as silicone resin and fluorinated epoxy resin were affected by humidity to a lesser degree than d-PMMA.