Diffraction gratings in optical waveguide components and production method thereof
AssigneeBalzers Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsJohannes Edlinger, Helmut Rudigier
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Abstract
A diffraction grating structure for coupling light into or out of a high refractive index waveguide layer on a carrier substrate is formed by irradiating the carrier substrate and/or the layer with UV laser light that is subject to simultaneous, spatially periodic intensity modulation. The modulation may be achieved, for example, by a biprism. The modulated UV light has the effect of periodically modulating the local refractive index of the waveguide layer or of the surface of the substrate to form the diffraction grating.
Claims32
A process for producing a diffraction grating structure for coupling light into and/or out of at least one dopant-free high refractive index dielectric layer on a dopant-free carrier substrate, consisting of the step of irradiating at least one of the high refractive index dielectric layer and carrier substrate with UV laser light with simultaneous spatially periodic intensity modulation.
A waveguide arrangement comprising a waveguide section and at least one light input/output area, said waveguide section and said area comprising a carrier substrate of a first material and thereon at least one dielectric high refractive index waveguide layer of a second material, said first and second materials being selected exclusively according to predetermined requirements for said waveguide section so as to be dopant-free, said input/output area comprising a diffraction grating structure formed by periodic modulation of a refractive index of at least one of said first and second materials.
A waveguide component comprising a dopant-free carrier substrate coated with at least one dopant-free dielectric high refractive index waveguide layer;
- and a diffraction grating structure formed by periodic modulation of the refractive index of at least one of the waveguide layer and of the carrier substrate.
A process for producing a waveguide arrangement with a waveguide section and at least one light input/output area, comprising the steps of:
- providing a carrier of a first undoped material for said section and for said area;
- applying a layer of undoped high-refractive-index, dielectric second material on said carrier and along said section and said area;
- selecting said first and said second undoped materials exclusively according to predetermined requirements for said waveguide section;
- and
- generating a diffraction grating structure by applying simultaneously and spatially periodic intensity modulated UV-laser light to said area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.