Single-etch step grating couplers for SOI waveguides

Nicolas Ayotte; Kéven Bédard; Sophie LaRochelle

doi:10.1117/12.2042095

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11 October 2013 Single-etch step grating couplers for SOI waveguides

Nicolas Ayotte, Kéven Bédard, Sophie LaRochelle

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Proceedings Volume 8915, Photonics North 2013; 89150X (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2042095
Event: Photonics North 2013, 2013, Ottawa, Canada

Abstract

Single-etch grating couplers provide efficient light coupling from optical fibers to photonic waveguides while having a very low fabrication complexity. Here, the use of a coupling coefficient profile solution permits an efficient optimization of the grating apodization profile and yields a simulated -4.8 dB coupling at 1550 nm. A very compact way to reduce back-reflections by up to 8 dB, by inserting a simple anti-reflective section, is also numerically investigated. Some proximity effects and minimum features of the 248 nm deep-ultraviolet lithography had a detrimental effect on the fabricated designs and the best experimental results were -7.5 dB. Nonetheless, these gratings, requiring a single-etch step fabrication process, should be useful when using e-beam prototyping.

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Nicolas Ayotte, Kéven Bédard, and Sophie LaRochelle "Single-etch step grating couplers for SOI waveguides", Proc. SPIE 8915, Photonics North 2013, 89150X (11 October 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2042095

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