# US 10,768,372 B2 · Resin optical waveguide and composite optical waveguide

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- Number: US 10,768,372 B2
- Document ID: US10768372B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/292,375
- Filed: 2019-03-05
- Published: 2019-07-04
- Granted: 2020-09-08
- Earliest claimed: 2016-09-06
- Assignees: AGC Inc.
- Applicants: AGC Inc.
- Inventors: Seiki Ohara; Shotaro Takenobu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10768372B2

## CPC

- G02B 6/30: for use between fibre and thin-film device
- G02B 6/1221: {made from organic materials}
- G02B 6/1228: {Tapered waveguides, e.g. integrated spot-size transformers (for coupling with fibres G02B6/305)}
- G02B 6/2821: {using lateral coupling between contiguous fibres to split or combine optical signals}
- G02B 6/3885: {Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than one fibre, e.g. ribbon type (optical ribbon cable G02B6/4403, G02B6/448)}
- G02B 2006/12061: {Silicon}
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS

## Abstract

The present invention relates to a resin optical waveguide including a core and a cladding having a refractive index lower than that of the core, in which the resin optical waveguide includes, along a light propagation direction, a coupling part at which at least a part of the core is exposed and an optical waveguide part where the whole circumference of the core is covered with the cladding, and the core has a width Wb at an end part of the coupling part at a side of the optical waveguide part being larger than a width Wa of the core at an end part of the coupling part at a side opposite to the optical waveguide part.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A resin optical waveguide, comprising a core and a cladding having a refractive index lower than that of the core,
wherein:
the resin optical waveguide comprises, along a light propagation direction, a coupling part at which at least a part of the core is exposed, and an optical waveguide part where the whole circumference of the core is covered with the cladding;
the core has a width Wb at an end part of the coupling part at a side of the optical waveguide part being larger than a width Wa of the core at an end part of the coupling part at a side opposite to the optical waveguide part;
the core is composed of a first core part, a third core part and a second core part in this order along the light propagation direction in the coupling part;
the first core part includes the end part of the coupling part at the side opposite to the optical waveguide part, and the first core part has the width Wa which is constant along the entire length of the first core part;
the second core part includes the end part of the coupling part at the side of the optical waveguide part, and the second core part has the width Wb at least at a boundary portion between the second core part and the third core part;
the third core part is positioned between the first core part and the second core part, and has a width changing from the width Wb to the width Wa;
the first core part has a first length L1;
the second core part has a second length L2;
the third core part has a third length L3; and
the following relationship is satisfied:
L3/(L1+L2+L3) is 0.01 or more.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The resin optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the width Wa of the core is 4 μm or more.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The resin optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the width Wa of the core and the width Wb of the core satisfy the relation of (Wb/Wa)≥1.1.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The resin optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the width Wb of the core is 10 μm or less.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The resin optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the width of the third core part monotonously decreases from the boundary portion between the second core part and the third core part to a boundary portion between the first core part and the third core part.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A composite optical waveguide, comprising the resin optical waveguide described in claim 1 and a connector housing the optical waveguide part of the resin optical waveguide.

### Claim 7

A resin optical waveguide, comprising a core and a cladding having a refractive index lower than that of the core,
wherein:
the resin optical waveguide comprises, along a light propagation direction, a coupling part at which at least a part of the core is exposed, and an optical waveguide part where the whole circumference of the core is covered with the cladding;
the core has a width Wb at an end part of the coupling part at a side of the optical waveguide part being larger than a width Wa of the core at an end part of the coupling part at a side opposite to the optical waveguide part;
the core is composed of a first core part, a third core part and a second core part in this order along the light propagation direction in the coupling part;
the first core part includes the end part of the coupling part at the side opposite to the optical waveguide part, and the first core part has the width Wa which is constant along the entire length of the first core part;
the second core part includes the end part of the coupling part at the side of the optical waveguide part, and the second core part has the width Wb at least at a boundary portion between the second core part and the third core part; and
the third core part is positioned between the first core part and the second core part, and has a width changing from the width Wb to the width Wa,
wherein at least one of a corner part of a boundary portion between the first core part and the third core part, and a corner part of the boundary portion between the second core part and the third core part, is chamfered.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The resin optical waveguide according to claim 7, wherein:
the first core part has a first length L1;
the second core part has a second length L2;
the third core part has a third length L3; and
the following relationship is satisfied:
L3/(L1+L2+L3) is 0.01 or more.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The resin optical waveguide according to claim 7, wherein the width Wa of the core is 4 μm or more.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The resin optical waveguide according to claim 7, wherein the width Wa of the core and the width Wb of the core satisfy the relation of (Wb/Wa)≥1.1.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The resin optical waveguide according to claim 7, wherein the width Wb of the core is 10 μm or less.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The resin optical waveguide according to claim 7, wherein the width of the third core part monotonously decreases from the boundary portion between the second core part and the third core part to a boundary portion between the first core part and the third core part.

### Claim 13 (depends on 7)

A composite optical waveguide, comprising the resin optical waveguide described in claim 7 and a connector housing the optical waveguide part of the resin optical waveguide.
