Planar waveguide and optical fiber coupling
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsDavide Domenico Fortusini, Vitor Marino Schneider, James Scott Sutherland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for optically coupling light between optical transmission components is provided. The apparatus includes first and second optical transmission components wherein the first optical transmission component includes a planar optical waveguide, a grating coupler, and a transparent substrate and the second optical transmission component includes an optical fiber. Preferably, the planar optical waveguide includes silicon and the transparent substrate includes glass. Methods for coupling light between optical transmission components are also provided.
Claims25
An apparatus for optically coupling light between optical transmission components, the apparatus comprising:
- a first optical transmission component comprising a planar optical waveguide extending along a longitudinal path, a grating coupler, and a transparent substrate, wherein the transparent substrate is disposed on a side of the planar optical waveguide and the grating coupler;
- and
- a second optical transmission component comprising an optical fiber, the optical fiber extending along a longitudinal axis and comprising a core and a cladding and having an angled tip, wherein the longitudinal axis of the optical fiber is substantially parallel to the longitudinal path of the planar optical waveguide;
- and wherein the transparent substrate is disposed between the planar optical waveguide and the optical fiber and coupling loss of optical radiation between the first optical transmission component and the second optical transmission component is less than 75%.
A method of optically coupling light between optical transmission components, the method comprising:
- transmitting light between a first optical transmission component and a second optical transmission component, wherein:
- the first optical transmission component comprises a planar optical waveguide extending along a longitudinal path, a grating coupler, and a transparent substrate, wherein the transparent substrate is disposed on a side of the planar optical waveguide and the grating coupler;
- and
- the second optical transmission component comprises an optical fiber, the optical fiber extending along a longitudinal axis and comprising a core and a cladding and having an angled tip, wherein the longitudinal axis of the optical fiber is substantially parallel to the longitudinal path of the planar optical waveguide;
- and
- wherein light is transmitted between the planar optical waveguide, the grating coupler, and the core of the optical fiber;
- and wherein the transparent substrate is disposed between the planar optical waveguide and the optical fiber and coupling loss of optical radiation between the first optical transmission component and the second optical transmission component is less than 75%.
An apparatus for optically coupling light between optical transmission components, the apparatus comprising:
- a first optical transmission component comprising a planar optical waveguide extending along a longitudinal path, a grating coupler, and a transparent substrate, wherein the transparent substrate is disposed on a side of the planar optical waveguide and the grating coupler;
- and
- a second optical transmission component comprising an optical fiber, the optical fiber extending along a longitudinal axis and comprising a core and a cladding and having an angled tip, wherein the longitudinal axis of the optical fiber is substantially parallel to the longitudinal path of the planar optical waveguide;
- and wherein the optical fiber is a multimode optical fiber and the grating coupler is configured to preferentially excite only a subset of the modes supported by the multimode optical fiber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.