Parylene Photonic Waveguides with Integrated Vertical Input/Output Ports for Flexible, Biocompatible Photonics

Optical methods are widely used for structural and functional imaging of biological tissue. Recent progress in miniaturization of photonic systems has opened the possibility of integrated biointerfaces in a compact implantable or wearable form factor. However, traditional integrated photonics based on rigid dielectric materials cannot address the need for flexibility and compliance to the soft tissues of the body. Here, we present a flexible and biocompatible photonic platform realized entirely in Parylene C and Polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) with integrated micromirrors for out-of-plane input/output coupling as a new platform for biophotonics.