High-index contrast waveguide coupler
OwnerMichal Lipson, Vilson Rosa de Almeidainventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical coupler comprises an optical tip having a small cross section. The coupler is tapered from a waveguide width to the small cross section tip. In one embodiment, the length of the taper is approximately 40 um long. The waveguide width is approximately 450 nm wide, and the tip is approximately 150×250 nm wide. The tip couples to an optical fiber, which in one embodiment is approximately 4 um wide. In a further embodiment, the waveguide tapers into a combination of multiple tips to provide a better overlap between a mode profile of the fiber and the coupler.
Claims31
An optical coupler comprising:
- an optical tip;
- a waveguide;
- and
- a tapered section between the optical tip and the waveguide having a cladding of a material having a low index of refraction, and wherein the optical tip, waveguide and tapered section have a high index of refraction.
An optical coupler comprising:
- a waveguide having a core with a tapered section extending into an optical tip, the waveguide having a cladding about the core formed of a material having a low index of refraction, and wherein the core including the tapered section and tip have a high index of refraction relative to the cladding.
An optical coupler comprising:
- a waveguide having a core with a tapered section extending into two optical tips, the waveguide having a cladding about the core formed of a material having a low index of refraction, and wherein the core including the tapered section and tips have a high index of refraction relative to the cladding.
An optical circuit comprising:
- a waveguide having a core with a tapered section extending into an optical tip, the waveguide having a cladding about the core formed of a material having a low index of refraction, and wherein the core including the tapered section and tip have a high index of refraction relative to the cladding;
- and
- an optical fiber having one end coupled to the tip at approximately the longitudinal center of the optical fiber.
The optical circuit of claim 24 wherein the optical fiber has a diameter of approximately 4 um, the tip has a cross section of approximately 150×150 nm, the taper has a length of approximately 40 um, and the waveguide has a width of approximately 450 nm.
An optical coupler that propagates light comprising:
- a thick elongate cladding portion having a low index of refraction;
- and
- a thin elongate material disposed within the cladding having a high index of refraction, wherein the thin elongate material has a thickness smaller than the wavelength of the light to be propagated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.