This technology is a method of efficiently coupling spatially encoded information from a few-mode optical fiber (FMF) to photonic chips, though a polymer waveguide.
With the rapid development of 5G communication, technologies will require design advancements of optical interconnects between fiber optic cables and chip-based photonic integrated circuits. Misalignment or variations in geometry or symmetry leads to inefficient data transmission between the fiber optic cable and the chip. Several coupling methods, such as vertical or edge coupling, have been proposed to successfully connect fiber optic cables with photonic chips, though high coupling efficiencies and large bandwidths remain difficult to achieve. Thus, new strategies for effectively coupling fiber optic cables to photonic chips are required for the development of scalable and low bandwidth data transmission technologies.
This technology is an optical mode converter that improves the coupling a few-mode optical fiber (FMF) to a photonic chip for the transmission of spatially encoded information. The introduction of a polymer waveguide to bridge the optical fiber and a silicon waveguide on the chip results in two highly efficient mode-conversion stages. The first stage involves mode conversion between the high-index contrast silicon and the low-index contrast polymer waveguide. The second stage involves a cascade of tapers for mode-shaping from a small cross-section of the polymer waveguide to a large-cross section of the polymer waveguide connected to the optical fiber. This technology is scalable, minimizes coupling losses, and has the potential to significantly enhance the bandwidth of multimode fiber couplers.
Patent Pending
IR CU21059
Licensing Contact: Greg Maskel