Optical waveguide element and optical axis adjustment method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12442986-B2
Application number	US-202118252496-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2021
Priority date	Jan 19, 2021
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

Abstract

An optical waveguide element of the present disclosure includes: a waveguide for propagating light; a clad including an upper clad whose lower surface is in contact with one surface of the waveguide and whose upper surface exposed to the outside is formed with a rough surface, and a lower clad whose upper surface is in contact with the other surface of the waveguide and whose lower surface is formed with a reflective surface; an incident end surface provided at one end of the waveguide and the clad; and an emission end surface provided at the other end of the waveguide and the clad, whereby incident light is optically coupled to the waveguide with high efficiency.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical waveguide element comprising:
a waveguide configured to propagate light;
a clad including an upper clad whose lower surface is in contact with one surface of the waveguide and a lower clad whose upper surface is in contact with the other surface of the waveguide;
both side surfaces provided on both sides of the upper clad and the lower clad;

an incident end surface provided at one end of the waveguide and the clad; and
an emission end surface provided at the other end of the waveguide and the clad, wherein
one of a flat upper surface of the upper clad and a flat lower surface of the lower clad is formed in a uniform inclined surface with respect to the waveguide, and the other is formed in a uniform parallel surface with respect to the waveguide, wherein
a thickness of the clad in a direction perpendicular to the waveguide is thinner on a side of the emission end surface than on a side of the incident end surface, and a distance between the flat upper surface of the upper clad and the flat lower surface of the lower clad uniformly and gradually decreases from the incident end surface to the emission end surface.

2. An optical axis adjustment method comprising:
a step of condensing light from a light source by a lens on the incident end surface of the optical waveguide element according to claim 1 ;
a step of measuring an output emitted from the emission end surface of the optical waveguide element by a power meter; and

a step of adjusting a position of a focal point and an incident beam angle of the condensed incident light so as to increase the output by adjusting a position and an angle of one or both of the light source and the lens.

3. The optical waveguide element according to claim 1 , wherein the incident end surface and the emission end surface are each inclined with respect to the waveguide.

4. An optical waveguide element comprising:
a waveguide configured to propagate light;
a clad including an upper clad whose lower surface is in contact with one surface of the waveguide and a lower clad whose upper surface is in contact with the other surface of the waveguide;
both side surfaces provided on both sides of the upper clad and the lower clad;
an incident end surface provided at one end of the waveguide and the clad; and
an emission end surface provided at the other end of the waveguide and the clad, wherein
both a flat upper surface of the upper clad and a flat lower surface of the lower clad are formed in uniform inclined surfaces with respect to the waveguide, wherein
a thickness of the clad in a direction perpendicular to the waveguide is thinner on a side of the emission end surface than on a side of the incident end surface, and a distance between the flat upper surface of the upper clad and the flat lower surface of the lower clad uniformly and gradually decreases from the incident end surface to the emission end surface.

5. The optical waveguide element according to claim 4 , wherein
an inclination angle θg between the inclined surface formed by the flat upper surface of the upper clad and the one surface of the waveguide is equal to the inclination angle θg between the inclined surface formed by the flat lower surface of the lower clad and the other surface of the waveguide.

6. The optical waveguide element according to claim 5 , wherein
the both side surfaces of the upper clad and the lower clad are flat inclined surfaces inclined at the inclination angle θg with respect to a principal axis of incident light from the side of the incident end surface toward the side of the emission end surface.

7. The optical waveguide element according to claim 4 , wherein the incident end surface and the emission end surface are each inclined with respect to the waveguide.

8. The optical waveguide element according to claim 4 , wherein the both side surfaces of the waveguide and the clad that are flat surfaces are inclined surfaces inclined with respect to the waveguide.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Yamamoto Shuhei

Classifications

• G02B6/3598

  Switching means directly located between an optoelectronic element and waveguides, including direct displacement of either the element or the waveguide, e.g. optical pulse generation (based on changing the optical properties of the medium G02F1/00; optical pulse generation in optical transmitters H04B10/508; optical pulse generation by controlling laser operation H01S3/00) · CPC title

• G02B6/3526

  the optical element being a lens · CPC title

• G02B6/0036

  2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces · CPC title

• G02B6/26

  Optical coupling means (G02B6/36, G02B6/42 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/327

  with angled interfaces to reduce reflections · CPC title