Three-dimensional (3D) photonic chip-to-fiber interposer
First Claim
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1. An optical coupling device comprising:
- a substrate platform comprising a first surface, a second surface adjacent to the first surface, and a third surface adjacent to the first surface and opposite the second surface; and
an array of waveguides comprising a first waveguide, disposed in the substrate platform, and extending from the second surface to the third surface,wherein the array of waveguides corresponds to an array of ion-exchanged channels in the substrate platform provided by a process,wherein the array of waveguides comprises an array pitch with a large pitch end at the second surface and a small pitch end at the third surface, andwherein the first waveguide comprises a cylindrically-shaped tapered structure that tapers down vertically and laterally with respect to the first surface from the large pitch end to the small pitch end.
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Abstract
A method of fabricating an optical coupling device, comprising forming a waveguide mask layer on a substrate platform, wherein the waveguide mask layer comprises an array of openings comprising a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, immersing the substrate platform into a salt melt comprising ions to form an array of waveguides in the substrate platform through an ion diffusion process, and controlling a rate of immersion such that a diffusion depth of the ions varies as a function of a distance in a direction from the first end to the second end, wherein the array of waveguides extends in the direction from the first end to the second end.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An optical coupling device comprising:
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a substrate platform comprising a first surface, a second surface adjacent to the first surface, and a third surface adjacent to the first surface and opposite the second surface; and an array of waveguides comprising a first waveguide, disposed in the substrate platform, and extending from the second surface to the third surface, wherein the array of waveguides corresponds to an array of ion-exchanged channels in the substrate platform provided by a process, wherein the array of waveguides comprises an array pitch with a large pitch end at the second surface and a small pitch end at the third surface, and wherein the first waveguide comprises a cylindrically-shaped tapered structure that tapers down vertically and laterally with respect to the first surface from the large pitch end to the small pitch end. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16)
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12. A planar lightwave circuit (PLC)-interposer comprising:
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an array of input ports comprising a first input port and configured to; couple to an array of in-plane fibers comprising a first fiber; and receive an optical signal from the first fiber via the first input port; an array of output ports comprising a first output port and configured to couple to a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) edge coupling array; and an array of ion-exchanged waveguides comprising an array pitch and a first ion-exchange waveguide and formed in a substrate platform, wherein the array pitch comprises a large pitch end at the array of input ports and a small pitch end at the array of output ports, wherein each ion-exchanged waveguide comprises a first end coupling to one of the input ports and a second end coupling to one of the output ports, wherein the first ion-exchanged waveguide is coupled to the first input port and the first output port and comprises a cylindrically-shaped tapered structure that gradually decreases laterally and vertically from the large pitch end to the small pitch end, and wherein the first ion-exchanged waveguide is configured to gradually reduce a first optical signal mode size of the optical signal laterally and vertically as the optical signal propagates towards the first output port to match a mode size of the PIC edge coupling array. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 17, 18)
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19. A method implemented by a planar lightwave circuit (PLC)-interposer, comprising:
- receiving a first optical signal from a first optical fiber of an in-plane optical fiber array via a first input port of an array of input ports of the PLC-interposer;
performing a first three-dimensional (3D) mode size conversion on the first optical signal by passing the first optical signal through a first ion-exchanged waveguide of an array of ion-exchanged waveguides of the PLC-interposer, wherein the first ion-exchanged waveguide comprises a cylindrically-shaped tapered structure that gradually decreases a first mode size of the first optical signal laterally and vertically, wherein the array of ion-exchanged waveguides is disposed in a substrate comprising a first surface, a second surface adjacent to the first surface, and a third surface adjacent to the first surface and opposite the second surface, wherein the array of ion-exchanged waveguides comprises an array pitch with a large pitch end at the second surface and a small pitch end at the third surface, and wherein the cylindrically-shaped tapered structure tapers down vertically and laterally with respect to the first surface from the large pitch end to the small pitch end; and
coupling the first optical signal from the first ion-exchanged waveguide to a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) edge coupling array via a first output port of an array of output ports of the PLC-interposer coupled to the first ion-exchanged waveguide. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
- receiving a first optical signal from a first optical fiber of an in-plane optical fiber array via a first input port of an array of input ports of the PLC-interposer;
Specification