Y branching optical waveguide and optical integrated circuit

• US 6,236,784 B1
• Filed: 02/26/1999
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oclaro Japan, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ido, Tatemi
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, James
• Application Number:
  US09/261,480
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 385/39, 385/45, 385/28
• US Class Current: 385/45
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/1215 Splitter
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/125 Bends, branchings or intersections
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2813 based on multimode interference effect, i.e. self-imaging

Abstract

The present application provides an asymmetric Y branch optical waveguide capable of obtaining an asymmetric branching ratio stably with a low radiation loss, and a lightwave circuit and an optical transmission system both using the asymmetric Y branch optical waveguide. The asymmetric Y branch optical waveguide according to the present application has a waveguide (I) for input, two waveguides (III) for output, and a multi-mode waveguide (II) disposed between the waveguides (I) and (II). The present Y branch optical waveguide is constructed in such a manner that the width of the multi-mode waveguide, extending in the direction intersecting with an optical axis changes discontinuously at a portion where the input waveguide and the multi-mode waveguide are connected to each other, and the multi-mode waveguide is asymmetric with respect to a center line extending in the direction of the optical axis to allow optical peaks to respectively appear in each individuals of the two output waveguides. Thus, a difference occurs between peak'"'"'s heights in each light-intensity distribution having two peaks, which appears due to mode interference, so that the asymmetry of a branching ratio can be implemented.

Claims

1. A Y branch optical waveguide, comprising:

a first optical waveguide;

two second optical waveguides; and

a multi-mode optical waveguide connected between said first optical waveguide and said two second optical waveguides;

wherein

the width of said first optical waveguide and the width of said multi-mode optical waveguide are different in a direction orthogonal to an extension of an optical axis at a portion where said first optical waveguide and said multi-mode optical waveguide are connected to each other, and

said multi-mode optical waveguide has shapes asymmetric with respect to an extension of a center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide so that propagation light has an asymmetric optical intensity distribution at a portion where said multi-mode optical waveguide and second optical waveguides are connected when light is incident from said first optical waveguide, and

said optical intensity distribution has a first peak and a second peak different in light intensity from each other and each of said peaks is located at near a center of each of said second optical waveguides at portions where said multi-mode optical waveguide and said second optical waveguides are connected, respectively.

2. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein exit portions of said multi-mode optical waveguide are constructed so as to be symmetric with respect to the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide and said second optical waveguides are constructed so as to be symmetric with respect to the extension of said center line.

3. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 2, wherein the width of one of entrance portions of said multi-mode optical waveguide, which are divided by the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide is smaller than that of its corresponding exit portion of said multi-mode optical waveguide.

4. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the width of one of entrance portions of said multi-mode optical waveguide, which are divided by the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide is smaller than that of its corresponding exit portion of said multi-mode optical waveguide.

5. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the width of one of intermediate portions of said multi-mode optical waveguide, which are divided by the center line, is smaller than that of its corresponding exit portion of said multi-mode optical waveguide.

6. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 5, wherein the exit portions of said multi-mode optical waveguide are constructed so as to be symmetric with respect to the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide.

7. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the distances between sides of core portions of said multi-mode optical waveguide and the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide are formed so as to differ from each other at at least a portion with respect to the traveling direction of the light.

8. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 7, wherein the distance between at least one side of the core portion of said multi-mode optical waveguide and the center line is formed so as to change into a form curved with respect to the traveling direction of the light.

9. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 7, wherein a variation in the distance between one side of the core portion of said multi-mode optical waveguide and the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide is constructed so as to be gentler than the extent of a variation at other than the neighborhood of each exit of said multi-mode optical waveguide in the vicinity of the exit of said multi-mode optical waveguide.

10. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 7, wherein the distance between one side of the core portion of the multi-mode optical waveguide and the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide increases from an entrance to its corresponding exit, and the variation in the distance is formed so as to decrease in the vicinity of the entrance and each exit of said multi-mode optical waveguide as compared with each intermediate portion of said multi-mode optical waveguide.

11. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 7, wherein offsets each having a predetermined width are provided at their corresponding entrances of said two second optical waveguides.

12. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein at least a side of a core region of a connecting portion between said first optical waveguide and said multi-mode optical waveguide has a transition region, and extensions of both sides of a core region of said first optical waveguide and a core region of said multi-mode optical waveguide, both being connected to both sides of said transition region, intersect each other.

13. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 12, wherein extensions of both sides of a core region of said first optical waveguide and a core region of said multi-mode optical waveguide, both being connected to both sides of said transition region, are orthogonal to each other.

14. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 13, wherein the exit portions of the multi-mode optical waveguide are constructed so as to be symmetric with respect to the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide.

15. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 13, wherein the distances between sides of core portions of said multi-mode optical waveguide and the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide are formed so as to differ from each other at at least a portion with respect to the traveling direction of the light.

16. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 12, wherein the exit portions of said multi-mode optical waveguide are constructed so as to be symmetric with respect to the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide.

17. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 12, wherein the distances between sides of core portions of said multi-mode optical waveguide and the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide are formed so as to differ from each other at at least a portion with respect to the traveling direction of the light.

18. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 1, wherein a discontinuous portion of the connecting portion between said first optical waveguide and said multi-mode optical waveguide is formed such that the width of said first optical waveguide, extending in the direction intersecting with the extension of the optical axis varies over a length of less than or equal to 50 times, comparing to the wavelength in the optical waveguide of light propagated through the corresponding optical waveguide.

19. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 18, wherein the exit portions of said multi-mode optical waveguide are constructed so as to be symmetric with respect to the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide.

20. The Y branch optical waveguide according to claim 18, wherein the distances between sides of core portions of said multi-mode optical waveguide and the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide are formed so as to differ from each other at at least a portion with respect to the traveling direction of the light.

21. A Y branch optical waveguide, comprising:

a first optical waveguide;

two second optical waveguides; and

a multi-mode optical waveguide connected between said first optical waveguide and said two second optical waveguides;

wherein

the width of said first optical waveguide extending in the direction orthogonal to an extension of an optical axis has discontinuity at a portion where said first optical waveguide and said multi-mode optical waveguide are connected to each other, and

said multi-mode optical waveguide has shapes asymmetric with respect to an extension of a center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis of said first optical waveguide so that propagation light has a first peak and a second peak different in light intensity from each other in association with each of said two second optical waveguides when the light is incident from said first optical waveguide, and

the distance between one side of the core portion of said multi-mode optical waveguide and the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide is formed so as to increase in sine function form from the entrance to its corresponding exit.

22. The Y branch optical waveguide comprising:

a first optical waveguide;

two second optical waveguides; and

a multi-mode optical waveguide connected between said first optical waveguide and said two second optical waveguides;

wherein

the width of said first optical waveguide, extending in the direction orthogonal to an extension of an optical axis has discontinuity at a portion where said first optical waveguide and said multi-mode optical waveguide are connected to each other,

and said multi-mode optical waveguide has shapes asymmetric with respect to an extension of a center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide so that propagation light has a first peak and a second peak different in light intensity from each other in association with each of said two second optical waveguides when the light is incident from said first optical waveguide, and

the distance between one side of the core portion of said multi-mode optical waveguide and the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide is formed so as to increase in Raised Sin form from the entrance to its corresponding exit.

23. A Y branch optical waveguide, comprising:

a first optical waveguide;

two second optical waveguides; and

a multi-mode optical waveguide disposed between said first optical waveguide and said two second optical waveguides;

wherein in the width of said first optical waveguide and the width of said multi-mode optical waveguide are different in the direction orthogonal to an extension of an optical axis at a portion where said first optical waveguide and said multi-mode optical waveguide are connected to each other, and

said multi-mode optical waveguide has shapes formed asymmetrically with respect to the extension of the center line, extending in the direction of the optical axis, of said first optical waveguide so that distributions of light intensities at a surface intersecting an optical axis of propagation light perpendicular thereto have two maximum values different in light intensity from each other when the light is incident from said first optical waveguide and

each of said two maximum values of light intensity are located at near a center of each of said second optical waveguides at portions where said multi-mode optical waveguide and said second optical waveguides are connected, respectively.