US 12,687,672 B2Granted

Alignment of adiabatic optical interfaces

AssigneeIonQ, Inc.

InventorsBartholomeus Johannes Machielse, Beibei Zeng, Chawina De-Eknamkul, Denis Sukachev, Daniel Riedel

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Abstract

System and methods for aligning optical elements to form adiabatic couplings are disclosed. An alignment device includes a common platform and a plurality of electrically-controlled mounts affixed to the common platform. Individual fibers of a first set of fibers that are to be aligned with a second set of fibers are coupled into respective ones of the plurality of electrically-controlled mounts. The platform as a whole is positioned in 3D space to align the first set of fibers with the second set of fibers, within a threshold level of alignment. Then, individual ones of the electrically-controlled mounts are adjusted to further align respective fibers of the first set of fibers with a corresponding fiber of the second set. In some embodiments, scattered light and/or signal strength are used as feedback measurements to guide the alignment process.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method of aligning optical elements, the method comprising:

attaching a first set of optical elements to a platform of an alignment device, wherein the platform is configured to move in 3D space, and wherein each of the optical elements of the first set are individually attached to the platform via respective ones of a plurality of electrically-controlled mounts mounted on the platform;
manipulating the platform with the first set of optical elements attached such that tapered ends of the first set of optical elements are positioned adjacent to, or touching, tapered ends of a second set of optical elements to which the first set of optical elements are to be coupled;
and
individually adjusting, using the respective ones of the electrically-controlled mounts, positioning of respective ones of the tapered ends of the first set of optical elements to align the respective ones of the tapered ends of the first set of optical elements with the tapered ends of the second set of optical elements.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/360,450Filed 27 Jul 2023 · us provisional application
Priority: 30 Jun 2023
Published: US 2025/0102728 A127 Mar 2025
Granted: 21 Jul 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G02B 6/02
Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings: optical fibres with cladding…
G02B 6/305
For use between fibre and thin-film device: and having an integrated mode-size expanding section, e.g. tapered waveguide
G02B 6/1228
Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths: tapered waveguides, e.g. integrated spot-size transformers
G02B 6/136
Integrated optical circuits characterised by the manufacturing method: by etching