Optical polymers which exhibit good thermal stability, controllable refractive index, and low optical loss in the optical communication wavelengths of 1.3 and 1.55 mu m were synthesized from 4,4＇-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphenol (bisphenol AF) and decafluorobiphenyl. The copolymers were prepared by the appropriate molar ratio of 4,6-dichlororesorcinol and bisphenol AF with decafluorobiphenyl. Optical properties such as refractive index and absorption behavior in the near IR region of the resulting polymers were characterized. As the content of chlorine was increased, the refractive indices of polymer were increased without causing further optical loss. Embedded optical waveguides were fabricated by using fluorinated and chloro-fluorinated poly(arylene ether)s.