Laminated polymer waveguide fan-out device for uncoupled multi-core fibers

A compact waveguide-type fan-out device for uncoupled multi-core fibers was demonstrated using a laminated polymer waveguide (LPW). The core spacing in the vertical direction was precisely controlled by the spin-coating of epoxy resin cladding with accurate viscosity control, while that in the lateral direction was determined precisely by using a photomask. The simultaneous coupling from the fan-out device to a seven-core MCF was successfully demonstrated. Next, we measured the offset loss characteristics of the cores of the LPW and calculated the spot size of the respective cores. The theoretical coupling losses evaluated from the spot size and the offset were as low as 0.2 - 7.5 dB.