Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada As Represented by the Minister of Industry Through the Communications Research Centre Canada

Chris Ledderhof

Patrick Dumais

Claire Callender

Chantal Blanchetiere

Julian Noad

Glendon Lovell

The invention provides a method for fabricating planar waveguiding structures with embedded microchannels. The method includes the step of depositing, over a planar template having at least one indented feature comprising a ridge of a first optical material and a narrow trench adjacent thereto, a second optical material, and the step of subsequent annealing thereof, so that an embedded hollow microchannel forms within the trench. The method provides planar structures wherein the ridge and the embedded microchannel cooperate to form an optical waveguiding structure having a waveguiding direction collinear with the embedded microchannel. Embodiments of the method for forming microfluidic devices integrating ridge waveguides with hollow microchannels having surface access points for fluid delivery, and for forming photonic crystals, are disclosed together with corresponding device embodiments.

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Richmond, CA, United States of America

Chris Ledderhof