Integrated optical fiber coupler and method of making same
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsGary T. Boyd, Tzu-Chen Lee, Bruce A. Sventek, Elisa M. Cross, Laura A. Weller-Brophy
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Abstract
An integrated optical coupler comprises a substrate with fiber-aligning grooves and waveguiding channels and a covering with complementary grooves and, optionally, channels. These couplers can be made from reproducible masters and electroplated molds made from those masters.
Claims40
An integrated n.times.m optical coupler comprising a polymeric housing which is a unitary structure formed by joining a substrate and a covering which encloses
- (a) n input optical fibers,
- (b) n waveguide entry channels formed in at least one of said substrate and said covering, which divide or converge into m waveguide exit channels, also formed in at least one of said substrate and said covering, and
- (c) m output optical fibers,
- wherein n and m are, independently, integers between 1 and 1024 inclusive, each of said n waveguide entry channels being aligned to the core of the respective n input optical fibers and each of said m waveguide exit channels being aligned to the core of the respective m output optical fibers by means of precisely aligned grooves in said housing, said waveguide channels being filled by at least one polymerizable monomer which is capable of being cured to provide waveguiding cores.
A polymeric housing for enclosing and prealigning optical fibers and channel waveguide cores comprising
- (a) a substrate comprising
- (i) a first portion, one horizontal surface of which contains n grooves for holding n input optical fibers,
- (ii) a second portion, one horizontal surface of which contains n waveguide entry channels which divide or converge into m waveguide exit channels, and
- (iii) a third portion, one horizontal surface of which contains m grooves for holding m output optical fibers,
- and
- (b) a covering comprising
- (i) a first portion, one horizontal surface of which contains n grooves for securing n input optical fibers,
- (ii) a second portion, one horizontal surface of which is substantially flat, and
- (iii) a third portion, one horizontal surface of which contains m grooves for securing m output optical fibers,
- wherein n and m are, independently, integers from 1 to 1024, said n grooves and m grooves being fashioned so that the cores of optical fibers to be held therein will be properly aligned with the ends of said corresponding waveguide channels, said substrate and covering being formed in such a way so that the two members can be adhesively joined together to form a housing which is substantially unitary.
A method for making a mold for the microreplication of polymeric integrated optical coupler housings comprising the steps:
- a) photolithographically etching a silicon wafer so as to form fiber-alignment grooves;
- b) coating said wafer with a photo-resist material;
- c) patterning in said photo-resist waveguiding channels which are aligned with said fiber-alignment grooves;
- d) electroplating said patterned wafer with a layer of a metal to provide a metallic complement to said wafer;
- and
- e) separating said metallic complement from said wafer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.