Vertical taper waveguide
First Claim
1. An optical waveguide, comprising:
- a first segment having a first thickness at a first end that decreases to a second thickness at a second end; and
a second segment, integral with said first segment, having a substantially constant thickness equal to said second thickness.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A tapered waveguide improves insertion loss occurring at the slab/waveguide interface of an optical array waveguide grating (AWG). The tapered waveguide has two segments. The first segment decreases from a first thickness, nearest the slab of the AWG to a second thickness moving away from the slab. The second segment has a substantially constant or uniform thickness equal to the second thickness of the first segment. The second segment may also have a swallowtail shape comprising a forked end having two sidewalls tapered back towards the first segment. Light that would otherwise be lost at the slab/waveguide interface is instead captured by the tapered waveguide which laterally channels the light back into the waveguides thus mitigating insertion loss.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An optical waveguide, comprising:
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a first segment having a first thickness at a first end that decreases to a second thickness at a second end; and
a second segment, integral with said first segment, having a substantially constant thickness equal to said second thickness. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A swallowtail optical waveguide to fit between the branches of a Y-splitter to reduce insertion loss, comprising:
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a first segment having a first thickness at a first end that decreases to a second thickness at a second end; and
a second segment, integral with said first segment, having a substantially constant thickness equal to said second thickness, said second segment comprising;
a forked portion having sidewalls tapered back towards said first segment. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for reducing insertion loss between fingers of an optical waveguide, comprising:
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providing a first segment against a slab between fingers of a waveguide having a thickness nearest said slab approximately equal to the height of said slab that decreases from a first thickness to a second thickness;
providing a second segment between the fingers of the waveguide integral with said first segment, said second segment having a substantially constant thickness equal to said second thickness. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification