Efficient coupling into polymer waveguides by gratings

Abstract

Investigations of highly efficient grating couplers for polymer slab and strip waveguides fabricated by electron-beam lithography are reported. A maximum input efficiency of 67% is achieved. The electron-beam direct-writing technique allows one to replicate the original gratings into polymer substrates by embossing. An all-polymeric optical chip with efficient grating couplers is demonstrated. Waveguide grating couplers with blazed profile and variable grating depth are investigated. Thus, the intensity distribution of the outcoupled light is matched to a Gaussian-like profile. A focusing blazed grating that couples the light with an efficiency of 42% into a polymer strip waveguide is reported. A curvature correction of the grating lines allows one to improve the focusing properties.

© 1997 Optical Society of America

Design of a high-efficiency volume grating coupler for line focusing

Stephen M. Schultz, Elias N. Glytsis, and Thomas K. Gaylord
Appl. Opt. 37(12) 2278-2287 (1998)

Volume grating preferential-order focusing waveguide coupler

Stephen M. Schultz, Elias N. Glytsis, and Thomas K. Gaylord
Opt. Lett. 24(23) 1708-1710 (1999)

Design, fabrication, and performance of preferential-order volume grating waveguide couplers

Stephen M. Schultz, Elias N. Glytsis, and Thomas K. Gaylord
Appl. Opt. 39(8) 1223-1232 (2000)

Diffraction grating couplers milled in Si₃N₄ rib waveguides with a focused ion beam

Kirill E. Zinoviev, Carlos Dominguez, and Anna Vilà
Opt. Express 13(21) 8618-8624 (2005)

Holographic Bragg grating input–output couplers for polymer waveguides at an 850-nm wavelength

Qiang Huang and Paul R. Ashley
Appl. Opt. 36(6) 1198-1203 (1997)