Apparatus and methods for remakeable connections to optical waveguides

A method for coupling light between optical waveguides, comprising:

• providing first and second waveguides, each waveguide having a core;
• and a deformable cladding layer surrounding the core, for allowing thickness of the cladding to be altered by applying stress to the waveguide, each waveguide having a grating structure in the cladding;
• placing the waveguides against one another in regions of respective grating structures so that the waveguides cross one another at an angle;
• pressing the waveguides together so that the deformable cladding regions are thinned in a region where the cores cross, causing a mode of the first waveguide to be coupled to a mode of the second waveguide.

A deformable optical waveguide, comprising:

• a core;
• a deformable cladding layer surrounding the core, for allowing thickness of the cladding to be altered by applying stress to the waveguide;
• a resilient cladding layer surrounding the deformable cladding layer;
• and
• a grating structure at a portion of an interface between the deformable cladding layer and the resilient cladding layer.

An assembly for coupling light, comprising:

• first and second waveguides, each waveguide having a core;
• and a deformable cladding layer surrounding the core, for allowing thickness of the cladding to be altered by applying stress to the waveguide, each waveguide having a grating structure in the cladding;
• the waveguides in contact with one another at regions of respective grating structures;
• and
• the deformable cladding regions being thinned in a region where the waveguides are in contact with one another, causing a mode of the first waveguide to be coupled to a mode of the second waveguide.