Abstract
In the last few years, hybrid organic-inorganic materials were particularly attractive materials for integrated optics circuits fabrication. An inorganic network is synthesized by sol-gel process at ambient pressure and temperature. The organic network is performed by UV photopolymerisation process using an appropriate photoinitiator. The more advanced and industrialised material is based on a mixture of 3- (trimethoxysilyl)propylmethacrylate (MAPTMS) and Zirconate propoxide chelated by methacrylic acid. For this kind of materials, the polymerization of the organic network is based on free radical curing under UV laser exposure. This type of polymerization has some disadvantages, in particular to be inhibited by oxygen. The main objective of this work is to remove this difficulty by developing a new generation of hybrid materials. We chose the [2-(3,4 epoxycyclohexylethyltrimethoxysilane)] (EETMOS) as precursor. In this case, the organic polymerization is on a cationic way. The main advantage of cationic polymerization is its ability to allow cure reaction even in presence of oxygen. We chose cycloaliphatic compounds because of their well known high polymerization rates. Moreover, the synthesis is simplified allowing better reproducibility. In the same way, we tried to improve laser writing resolution by using a wavelength of 262 nm which requires the choice of an appropriate photoinitiator. The work is based on the study of the material in near infrared (especially 1.3 and 1.55µm, telecommunications wavelengths). In these spectral windows, the OH groups, originating from synthesis, compete with propagation of the light by absorption process. To improve the material, a structural study is performed from the sol synthesis to the complete structure elaboration.