Optical component coupling using self-written waveguides

Abstract

The titled method has been systematically studied to improve existing alignment control difficulties between optical components to be coupled. Using UV curable resin as a waveguide material, UV cured optical waveguide is “self-written” by UV exposure from an edge of optical fiber. So far we have shown that this method is very effective for optical fibers coupling under existence of gap and offset. We tried here to couple different optical circuit using polymer optical waveguide. One key technique to produce a self-written waveguide from a polymer waveguide is to use visible light curable resin instead of so far used UV curable resin in which self-written waveguide hardly forms because of strong UV absorption of the polymer waveguide. Similar coupling loss is also obtained for polymer waveguide/optical fiber coupling as well as so far studied optical fibers coupling. Clad stabilizing process in the optical fiber coupling is also optimized to decrease coupling loss. The obtained coupling loss is less than 1 dB for 500 um gap; the value is significantly lower than the previously reported value, > 2 dB. Using this unique and easy coupling method, significant cost reduction can be expected in optical coupling procedure.