Optical waveguide termination
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsCheng-Tse Tang, Chewn-Pu Jou, Chia-Ju Yu, Cheng Hsiao
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to optical waveguide termination devices. In some embodiments, an optical waveguide termination device is coupled to an end of an optical waveguide. The optical waveguide termination device is a tapered structure. In various embodiments, an optical absorption rate of the tapered structure is increased to enhance a termination efficiency. The optical absorption is increased by highly-doped material, multi-layer structure, different cladding, and periodic structure. The enhancement of the termination efficiency benefits size reduction of the tapered structure.
Claims20
A device, comprising:
- an optical waveguide, the optical waveguide comprising a core that includes:
- a first portion having a first length along a first direction, a first width along a second direction that is transverse to the first direction, and a first thickness along a third direction that is transverse to the first and second directions;
- and
- a second portion having a first end of the first width and a second end with the first end laterally contacting the first portion and extending from the first portion along the first direction, the second portion having a second length along the first direction, a second width along the second direction progressively decreasing from the first end to the second end, and a uniform second thickness along the third direction equal to the first thickness, the second portion having a tapered profile in the first direction,
- wherein the second portion comprises a material different from the first portion.
A method, comprising:
- forming a first portion of a core of an optical waveguide that has a first length along a first direction, a uniform first width along a second direction that is transverse to the first direction, and a uniform first thickness along a third direction that is transverse to the first and second directions, the first portion having an optical characteristic;
- and
- forming a second portion of the core of the optical waveguide, the second portion having a first end of the first width and a second end with the first end laterally contacting the first portion and extending from the first portion along the first direction, the second portion having a second length along the first direction, a second width along the second direction progressively decreasing from the first end to the second end, and a uniform second thickness along the third direction equal to the first thickness, the second portion having a tapered profile along the first direction,
- wherein the second portion comprises a material different from the first portion such that the second portion has a different optical characteristic than the first portion.
A device comprising an optical waveguide, the optical waveguide comprising a core that includes:
- an end structure having a uniform width and a uniform thickness;
- and
- a tapered structure laterally contacting the end structure and extending from the end structure along a longitudinal axis of the optical waveguide, wherein the taper structure comprises a lower portion and an upper portion over the lower portion, the lower portion and the upper portion comprising different materials, and wherein the tapered structure has a uniform thickness that is equal to the thickness of the end structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.