Integrated optical mode shape transformer and method of fabrication
First Claim
1. An optical mode transformer, comprising:
- a first waveguide having a first thickness; and
a second waveguide having a second thickness, at least a portion of the second waveguide being contiguous with at least a portion of the first waveguide, the first and second waveguides cooperating to form an adiabatic region in which the second waveguide is tapered and a lightwave evanescently couples into the first waveguide.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An integrated optical mode transformer provides a low loss interconnection between an optical fiber and an integrated optic waveguide having a spot size different from that of the fiber. The mode transformer is comprised of two waveguide layers, an upper layer and a lower layer, with the upper layer being contiguous to the lower layer. The lower layer is the integrated optic waveguide layer forming the optical circuit. The input dimensions of the composite two-waveguide structure supports a fundamental mode that accepts all of the light present on the optical fiber. The upper waveguide layer is tapered down from an input width to an output width and then terminates in such a way that at the termination substantially all of the input optical power resides in the lower waveguide layer. The two-waveguide layer structure is fabricated by deposition and planarization techniques.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. An optical mode transformer, comprising:
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a first waveguide having a first thickness; and
a second waveguide having a second thickness, at least a portion of the second waveguide being contiguous with at least a portion of the first waveguide, the first and second waveguides cooperating to form an adiabatic region in which the second waveguide is tapered and a lightwave evanescently couples into the first waveguide. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of fabricating an optical mode transformer, comprising the steps of:
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depositing a first waveguide on a substrate, the first waveguide having a first thickness and a first refractive index; and
fabricating a second waveguide having a second thickness and a second refractive index, at least a portion of the second waveguide being contiguous with at least a portion of the first waveguide and wherein the second waveguide having a width that is tapered. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification