Waveguide-to-fiber coupling using a second-order grating and an anamorphic binary optic

Historically, obtaining efficient coupling from single-mode waveguides in high performance GaAs modulator devices to single-mode fiber has been difficult. The reasons are; (1) the large modal mismatch between the elliptical waveguide output and the gaussian profile of the optical fiber; and (2) the large NA difference (0.9 for the waveguide in one direction) and 0.16 for fiber. Despite this difficulty, there exists a need for packaging devices with multiple fiber outputs, that have been gang-aligned, efficiently coupled, and hermetically sealed. (The latter item will be very important in automotive or aerospace applications.) Instead of trying to have fiber penetrate the package wall, the SNL approach to efficient coupling and hermeticity has been to allow light to penetrate the package wall. This has been accomplished by sending out the light normal to the waveguides and collecting it with a binary optic that focuses it on to a fiber outside the package. The optical design of this system requires that the beam be nearly collimated as it leaves the surface of the device. To accomplish this, a second-order grating was etched into a 200 /spl mu/m long section of an adiabatically expanded single-mode waveguide.< >