A novel photobleachable polysilane copolymer for optical waveguide fabrication

Poly(methylphenylsilane)‐poly(benzylmethacrylate) (PMPS‐PBzMA) block copolymer was prepared by photopolymerization of benzylmethacrylate (BzMA) monomer using PMPS as a macromolecular photo‐radical initiator. Its application as a photobleachable polymer material for optical waveguide fabrication was investigated. By changing weight ratios of BzMA to PMPS during polymerization, the obtained PMPS‐PBzMA showed different photo‐induced refractive changes. PMPS‐PBzMA proved to have good photosensitivity, optical properties, and thermal stability. A multimode PMPS‐PBzMA optical waveguide was achieved, with a propagation loss of 1.0 dB/cm at 1310 nm. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.