Fiber-to-waveguide coupler

US7065272B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• INTERUNIVERSITAIR MICRO-ELECTRONICA CENTRUM VZW · BE

Inventors

• Dirk Taillaert · Bredene, BE
• Roel Baets · Deinze, BE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 10, 2003
• Grant date: Jun 20, 2006
• Expiry date: Apr 10, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B6/30
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An optical waveguide to fiber coupler comprises a substrate, a first waveguide and a second waveguide. The first and second waveguides are formed on the substrate and intersect at a right angle. A diffraction grating structure is formed at the intersection of the first and second waveguides, such that, when the coupler is physically abutted with a single mode optical fiber, in operation, a polarization split is obtained that couples orthogonal modes from the single-mode optical fiber into single identical modes in the first and second waveguides. Also, employing the coupler in optical polarization diverse applications provides for implementing a polarization insensitive photonic integrated circuit using such diffraction grating structures, such as, for example, photonic crystals.