Tapered rib fiber coupler for semiconductor optical devices

Patent · Sun Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2000

OSTI ID:873722

Vawter, Gregory A ^[1]; Smith, Robert Edward ^[1]

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1. Albuquerque, NM

A monolithic tapered rib waveguide for transformation of the spot size of light between a semiconductor optical device and an optical fiber or from the fiber into the optical device. The tapered rib waveguide is integrated into the guiding rib atop a cutoff mesa type semiconductor device such as an expanded mode optical modulator or and expanded mode laser. The tapered rib acts to force the guided light down into the mesa structure of the semiconductor optical device instead of being bound to the interface between the bottom of the guiding rib and the top of the cutoff mesa. The single mode light leaving or entering the output face of the mesa structure then can couple to the optical fiber at coupling losses of 1.0 dB or less.

• Research Organization: SANDIA CORP
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• Assignee: Sandia Corporation (Albuquerque, NM)
• Patent Number(s): US 6229947
• OSTI ID: 873722
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/385/
atop
bottom
bound
couple
coupler
coupling
cutoff
cutoff mesa
db
device
devices
entering
expanded
fiber
force
guided
guiding
integrated
interface
laser
leaving
light
losses
mesa
mode
mode laser
mode optical
modulator
monolithic
optical
optical device
optical devices
optical fiber
optical modulator
output
rib
rib waveguide
semiconductor
semiconductor device
semiconductor optical
single
single mode
size
spot
spot size
structure
tapered
tapered rib
top
transformation
type
type semiconductor
waveguide