Customized Optical Fiber Arrays for Warped PIC Edge Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The warpage of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) due to fabrication-induced stress or mismatch in material properties leads to misalignment of edge coupler waveguide facets with optical fibers, reducing optical coupling efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Customized optical fiber arrays are designed with tailored vertical displacements and microlenses to match the warpage profile of PICs, ensuring precise alignment of optical fibers with edge coupler waveguides, even when the PIC is warped.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard optical fiber arrays are used with flat mounting surfaces, then manufacturing is simple and cost-effective, but optical coupling efficiency deteriorates due to warpage-induced misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The fiber array mounting structure implements local quality by providing different vertical heights at different locations. The mounting surface includes multiple regions with distinct height levels, allowing fibers to be positioned at vertically displaced positions that match the warpage profile of the PIC. This non-uniform height distribution compensates for the warpage-induced misalignment, improving optical coupling efficiency without requiring complete redesign of the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention addresses the alignment problem by introducing vertical displacement as an additional degree of freedom. Instead of relying solely on lateral positioning in a flat plane, the solution utilizes the vertical dimension by creating a multi-level mounting structure. This allows fibers to be positioned at different heights to match the warped surface of the PIC, effectively transforming a 2D alignment problem into a 3D solution.
2Reliability
If fibers are positioned at vertically displaced positions to match warpage, then optical coupling efficiency improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary action by pre-configuring the fiber array mounting structure with specific vertical heights before fiber installation. The mounting surface is designed with predetermined height levels that correspond to the expected warpage profile of the PIC. This pre-compensation approach allows for easier fiber positioning during assembly, as the vertical displacement requirements are already built into the mounting structure rather than requiring precise adjustment during final alignment.
3Manufacturing precision
If customized fiber arrays with tailored vertical positions are used, then alignment with warped waveguide facets improves, but device complexity and fabrication difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure implements local quality by creating specific regions with different vertical heights tailored to match the warpage characteristics at different locations of the PIC. This allows the fabrication process to focus on creating localized height variations rather than requiring complete customization of the entire fiber array, simplifying the manufacturing approach while maintaining alignment precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances optical coupling efficiency by aligning fiber cores with edge coupler waveguide facets, improving power transmission and signal quality in optical systems.
Implementation Method 1
The array of optical fibers can include microlenses configured to match an optical mode between the optical fibers and the array of waveguide facets
Data Source
AI summary
Method and structures for edge coupling between waveguides of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip with warpage and an optical fiber array. Some methods are used for measured displacements of waveguide facets due to PIC chip warpage. Some methods and structures are provided for fabricating the optical fiber array using the measured waveguide displacements to improve the optical coupling efficiency between the individual waveguides and optical fibers.