Device for optically coupling a plurality of first optical waveguides to a plurality of second optical waveguides
First Claim
1. In a device for producing an optical coupling between a plurality of first waveguides and a plurality of second waveguides, wherein the first and second waveguides have end faces which lie opposite one another in pairs and are arranged at a distance from one another and wherein optical lenses are arranged between every pair of the end faces of the first and second waveguides lying opposite one another, the improvement comprising a carrier member being formed of a plate arranged between the end faces of the first and second waveguides which lie opposite to one another, said plate having one flat surface facing toward the first waveguides and one flat surface facing toward the second waveguides, and the plate having means on one surface for holding lenses between the pairs of end faces of the first and second waveguides, at least one of the plurality of first and second waveguides being waveguides of an IOC which are integrated on a substrate with end faces at a rim edge of the substrate, and the means for holding lenses being on a flat surface of the carrier facing toward the end faces of the waveguides at said rim edge.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A device, which provides a high positioning precision and good coupling efficiency for producing an optical coupling between a plurality of first optical waveguides having one spot diameter and a plurality of second optical waveguides having a different spot diameter, comprises optical lenses and a plate arranged between the end faces of the first and second waveguides lying opposite to one another, the plate has one flat surface facing toward the first waveguides and a second flat surface facing toward the second waveguides, the plate having an arrangement for positioning an optical lens between each pair of waveguides. The optical lenses may be planar lenses formed on a flat surface of the plate or may be spherical lenses held in conical depressions on one of the surfaces of the plate. In one embodiment, the plate has depressions on both sides, which may receive spherical lenses. In the arrangement with the planar lenses, the opposite side may be free of depressions or have depressions for receiving optical fibers forming one of the groups of waveguides.
175 Citations
24 Claims
- 1. In a device for producing an optical coupling between a plurality of first waveguides and a plurality of second waveguides, wherein the first and second waveguides have end faces which lie opposite one another in pairs and are arranged at a distance from one another and wherein optical lenses are arranged between every pair of the end faces of the first and second waveguides lying opposite one another, the improvement comprising a carrier member being formed of a plate arranged between the end faces of the first and second waveguides which lie opposite to one another, said plate having one flat surface facing toward the first waveguides and one flat surface facing toward the second waveguides, and the plate having means on one surface for holding lenses between the pairs of end faces of the first and second waveguides, at least one of the plurality of first and second waveguides being waveguides of an IOC which are integrated on a substrate with end faces at a rim edge of the substrate, and the means for holding lenses being on a flat surface of the carrier facing toward the end faces of the waveguides at said rim edge.
- 4. In a device for producing an optical coupling between a plurality of first optical waveguides and a plurality of second optical waveguides, said device having end faces of the first and second waveguides lying opposite to one another in pairs and arranged at a distance from one another, and an optical lens being positioned between every pair of end faces of the first and second waveguides, said lenses being held on a carrier member in a region of a depression fashioned on a surface of the carrier member and conically tapering from the surface in a direction toward the inside of the carrier member from a maximum diameter to a minimum diameter, said minimum diameter being greater than zero, the improvements comprising the carrier member being composed of a plate arranged between the end faces of the first and second waveguides lying opposite one another, said plate having one flat surface facing toward the first waveguides and one flat surface facing toward the second waveguides, at least one of the plurality of first and second waveguides being waveguides of an IOC, which waveguides are integrated on a substrate and have said end faces at a rim edge of the substrate and the depressions for holding the lenses being fashioned in at least one of the flat surfaces of the plate, said at least one flat surface facing the end faces of the waveguide of the IOC and the depressions being conically tapering in diameter from the one flat surface in the direction toward the other flat surface of the plate.
- 19. In a device for producing an optical coupling between first optical waveguides and a plurality of second optical waveguides, said first and second waveguides having end faces that lie opposite to one another in pairs and being arranged at a distance from one another, and wherein optical lenses are held on a carrier member and are arranged between every pair of end faces of the first and second waveguides lying opposite one another, the improvements comprising the carrier member being composed of a plate arranged between the end faces of the first and second waveguides lying opposite one another, said plate having one flat surface facing toward the first waveguides and one flat surface facing toward the second waveguides and being composed of a material that is transparent for a wavelength of the optical wave being guided in the first and second waveguides, and wherein every optical lens is composed of a planar lens arranged on at least one of the flat surfaces of the plate.
Specification