Patent · US Expired

Multimode interference coupler, multi-layer optical planar waveguide using the same and method of manufacturing the same

US6785449B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by
2References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 6, 2002
Grant dateAug 31, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 2, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B6/12002
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-layer optical planar waveguide which is vertically coupled using multimode-interference couplers and to the method of manufacturing the same. The purpose of this invention is to increase the degree of integration on the multi-layer optical planar waveguide by applying the concept of via holes of the multi-layer printed circuit board (MLPCB) used in electronic circuits to the optical waveguide devices. According to the present invention, particularly, a multimode interference coupler of a stepped structure has the higher coupling ratio at relatively short length of interference than the usual multimode interference coupler. The present invention can implement a multimode interference coupler at a specialized spot while reducing evanescent field interference between the upper and lower optical waveguides out of the spot by separating the layers enough.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.