Optical coupling system and method for fabricating the same
AssigneeHewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
InventorsDavid A. Fattal, Zhen Peng, Marco Fiorentino, Raymond G. Beausoleil
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Abstract
An optical coupling system and method of fabrication are included. The optical coupling system includes a substrate layer and an optical waveguide material overlying the substrate layer. The optical waveguide material can include a grating. The system also includes a cover material overlying the optical waveguide material to couple an optical signal to the optical waveguide material via the grating at a coupling angle. Approximately zero energy of the coupled optical signal is lost in the substrate layer due to a combination of the coupling angle and a difference in refractive indices between the cover material and the substrate layer.
Claims15
An optical coupling system comprising:
- a substrate layer;
- an optical waveguide material overlying the substrate layer, the optical waveguide material having a grating;
- and
- a cover material overlying the optical waveguide material to couple an optical signal to the optical waveguide material via the grating at a coupling angle, wherein approximately zero energy of the coupled optical signal is lost in the substrate layer due to a combination of the coupling angle and a difference in refractive indices between the cover material and the substrate layer.
A method for fabricating an optical coupling system, the method comprising:
- providing a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure having a first silicon layer, an insulator layer overlying the first silicon layer, and a second silicon layer overlying the insulator layer;
- etching a grating onto the second silicon layer;
- depositing a cover material onto the second silicon layer such that the cover material covers the grating, the cover material having a refractive index that is greater than a refractive index associated with the insulator layer;
- and
- etching a recess into the cover material, the recess being to at least one of transmit an optical signal to the second silicon layer via the grating and receive the optical signal from the second silicon layer via the grating at a coupling angle that is sufficient for substantially lossless coupling of the optical signal to the second silicon layer via the grating.
An optical coupling system comprising:
- a substrate layer having a first refractive index;
- an optical waveguide material overlying the substrate layer and comprising a grating;
- and
- a cover material overlying the optical waveguide material to couple an optical signal to the optical waveguide layer via the grating at a coupling angle that is greater than a total internal reflection (TIR) angle associated with the substrate layer and the cover material, the cover material having a second refractive index that is greater than the first refractive index.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.