Integrated photonics vertical coupler

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11199661-B2
Application number	US-202016803831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2020
Priority date	Oct 21, 2019
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

Systems and methods for an integrated photonics vertical coupler are provided herein. In certain embodiments, a device includes a first waveguide having a first photon and a second photon propagating therein, wherein the first photon and the second photon are propagating in orthogonal modes. Further, the device includes a second waveguide having a second coupling portion in close proximity with a first coupling portion of the first waveguide, wherein a physical relationship between the first waveguide and the second waveguide along the length of the second coupling portion causes an adiabatic transfer of the first photon and the second photon into distinct orthogonal modes of the second waveguide at different locations in the second coupling portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a first waveguide having a first photon and a second photon propagating therein, wherein the first photon and the second photon are propagating in orthogonal modes, wherein the first photon and the second photon are generated within the first waveguide; and
a second waveguide having a second coupling portion in close proximity with a first coupling portion of the first waveguide, wherein a physical relationship between the first waveguide and the second waveguide along thea length of the second coupling portion causes an adiabatic transfer of the first photon and the second photon into distinct orthogonal modes of the second waveguide at different locations in the second coupling portion.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the adiabatic transfer of the first photon and the second photon into the second waveguide preserves the orthogonal modes of the first photon and the second photon when propagating in the first waveguide.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first photon is in a TE mode and the second photon is in a TM mode.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first photon is coupled into the second coupling portion before the second photon.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first waveguide is formed in a first waveguide layer and the second waveguide is formed in a second waveguide layer, wherein the first waveguide layer and the second waveguide layer are made from materials having different indexes of refraction.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the first waveguide layer is made of periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate.

7. The device of claim 5 , wherein the second waveguide layer is made of silicon nitride.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the physical relationship comprises changing a width of the second waveguide along the length of the second coupling portion.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the width gradually changes by widening along thea direction of propagation of the first photon and the second photon within the second waveguide.

10. A device comprising:
a first waveguide layer having a first waveguide therein, the first waveguide having a first photon and a second photon propagating therein, wherein the first photon and the second photon are propagating in orthogonal modes, wherein the first photon and the second photon are generated within the first waveguide; and
a second waveguide layer having a second waveguide therein, the second waveguide having a second coupling portion in close proximity with a first coupling portion of the first waveguide, wherein the first photon and the second photon are adiabatically transferred into distinct orthogonal modes of the second waveguide, wherein the first waveguide layer and the second waveguide layer are made of materials having different indexes of refraction.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein a width of the second waveguide changes along a length of the second coupling portion.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the width_gradually changes by widening along a direction of propagation of the first photon and the second photon within the second waveguide.

13. The device of claim 10 , wherein the first photon and the second photon are coupled into the second waveguide at different locations in the second coupling portion.

14. The device of claim 10 , wherein the first photon is coupled into the second coupling portion before the second photon.

15. The device of claim 10 , wherein the first waveguide layer is made of periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate.

16. The device of claim 10 , wherein the second waveguide layer is made of silicon nitride.

17. A method comprising:
generating a first photon and a second photon in a first waveguide formed in a first waveguide layer, where the first photon is in a first mode and the second photon is in a second mode orthogonal to the first mode;
coupling the first photon from the first waveguide into a second waveguide at a first location within a coupling portion of the second waveguide, wherein the coupling portion is a section of the second waveguide proximate to the first waveguide; and
coupling the second photon from the first waveguide into the second waveguide at a second location distinct from the first location within the coupling portion, wherein the first photon and the second photon are coupled into one of the first location and the second location based on whether propagation within the first waveguide is in the first mode or the second mode.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a width of the second waveguide changes along thea length of the coupling portion by widening along a direction of propagation of the first photon and the second photon within the second waveguide.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first waveguide is formed in the first waveguide layer and the second waveguide is formed in a second waveguide layer, wherein the first waveguide layer and the second waveguide layer are made from materials having different indexes of refraction.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Puckett Matthew Wade
• Tin Steven
• Fertig Chad

Classifications

• G02B6/122

  Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths · CPC title

• G02B2006/12061

  Silicon · CPC title

• G02B6/2773

  Polarisation splitting or combining · CPC title

• G02B6/12002

  Three-dimensional structures · CPC title

• G02B2006/1209

  Multimode · CPC title