Photonic waveguide coupling using offset light source
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsRussell Budd, Marc A. Taubenblatt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A structure to couple light to a waveguide is described. In an example, a light source of the structure may emit light from an emission point towards a lens of the structure. The light source may be disposed at a location such that the emission point of the light source is offset from a center of the lens. The lens may be integrated in a substrate of a structure comprising the light source. The lens may refract the light emitted from the emission point at an angle. The angle may be based on the offset between the emission point and the center of the lens. The structure may couple the refracted light to a coupler of the waveguide at an incident angle.
Claims20
A structure comprising:
- a lens integrated in a substrate;
- and
- a light source operable to emit light, in a first direction, from an emission point towards the lens, wherein:
- the light source is disposed at a location in which the emission point is offset from a center of the lens in a second direction, the second direction being non-parallel to the first direction;
- and
- the offset of the emission point from the center of the lens in the second direction causes the light emitted from the light source to refract, from the lens, at an angle to direct the light towards a coupler of a waveguide and to couple the light to the waveguide at an incident angle.
A structure comprising:
- a lens integrated in a lensed interposer;
- and
- a light source flip-chip mounted above the lensed interposer, the light source being operable to emit light from an emission point towards the lens, wherein:
- the light source is disposed at a location in which the emission point is offset from a center of the lens;
- and
- the offset of the emission point from the center of the lens causes the light emitted from the light source to refract at an angle to direct the light towards a coupler of a waveguide and to couple the light to the waveguide at an incident angle.
A device comprising:
- a first lens integrated in a first substrate;
- a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) operable to emit light from an emission point towards the first lens, wherein the VCSEL is disposed at a location in which the emission point is offset from a center of the first lens, the offset causes the emitted light to refract at an angle such that the emitted light is directed towards a first coupler of a first waveguide, and the emitted light is coupled to the first waveguide at an incident angle based on the angle;
- a second lens integrated in a second substrate;
- a light detector disposed at a location in which a center of the light detector is offset from a center of the second lens, wherein the second lens is disposed between the light detector and a second coupler of a second waveguide, and the second lens is operable to direct light exiting the second coupler towards the center of the light detector;
- the light detector is further operable to convert the light from the second coupler into electric current.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.