Methods of forming a fiber coupling device and fiber coupling device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9971108-B2
Application number	US-201615241410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2016
Priority date	Mar 5, 2014
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

The application provides methods of forming a fiber coupling device comprising a substrate, the substrate having a substrate surface and at least one optoelectronic and/or photonic element, and further comprising at least one fiber coupling alignment structure that is optically transmissive. The method comprises a) applying a polymerizable material to the substrate surface, b) selectively polymerizing, using a method of 3D lithography, a region of the polymerizable material so as to convert the region of the polymerizable material into a polymer material, thereby forming at least one fiber coupling alignment structure, and c) cleaning the substrate and the polymer material from remaining non-polymerized polymerizable material, thereby exposing the at least one fiber coupling alignment structure of the fiber coupling device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a fiber coupling device,
the fiber coupling device comprises a substrate comprising a substrate surface and at least one opto-electronic and/or photonic element and further comprises at least one fiber coupling alignment structure that is optically transmissive,
wherein the method at least comprises:
a) applying a polymerizable material to the substrate surface of the substrate,
b) selectively polymerizing, using a method of 3D lithography executed by 3D laser scanning, a region of the polymerizable material so as to convert the region of the polymerizable material into a polymer material, thereby forming at least one fiber coupling alignment structure that is arranged on the substrate surface of the substrate, the at least one fiber coupling alignment structure comprising:
a support interface surface at which the polymer material is in direct contact with the substrate surface of the substrate,
a fiber support region adapted to support at least one optical fiber in an aligned position for optical coupling to the substrate, and
a reflection surface for reflecting light propagating between an optical fiber and the substrate, wherein the 3D laser scanning comprises:
measuring a real-time position of the optoelectronic and/or photonic element relative to a focal region of a laser beam, to a partially fabricated polymer structure or to a predefined reference position for starting polymerization on the substrate, and
any offset of the measured real-time position from a predefined default position of the optoelectronic and/or photonic element is compensated by forming one or more compensational offsets of at least one of the fiber support region and the reflection surface, and

c) cleaning the substrate and the polymer material from remaining non-polymerized polymerizable material, thereby exposing the at least one fiber coupling alignment structure of the fiber coupling device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing 3D laser scanning includes focussing and/or otherwise controlling a laser beam such that two-photon-polymerisation occurs in a focal region the laser beam exclusively, thereby restricting an area where polymerization can occur to the position and/or extension of the focal region of the focussed laser beam.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing 3D laser scanning comprises:
moving the substrate in two lateral directions (x, y) transverse to a direction of a laser beam; and
moving a focal region of the laser beam, along a third direction (z) normal to the substrate surface of the substrate, by varying the focal distance of the laser beam.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step b) of selectively polymerizing and thereby converting the region of the polymerizable material into the polymer material is executed by performing 3D holographic lithography.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one optoelectronic or photonic element is designed for emitting and/or receiving light to and/from a propagation direction inclined by less than 45° relative to a normal direction (n) of a main surface of the substrate; and
wherein the fiber coupling alignment structure is shaped such that the fiber support region is adapted to support at least one optical fiber with its axial direction (a) inclined by more than 45° relative to the normal direction (n) of the main surface of the substrate.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
d) mounting at least one optical fiber to the fiber support region of the at least one fiber coupling alignment structure after having performed steps a) through c).

7. A fiber coupling device, comprising:
a substrate comprising a substrate surface and at least one optoelectronic and/or photonic element and
at least one fiber coupling alignment structure that is arranged on the substrate surface of the substrate and that is optically transmissive,
wherein the at least one fiber coupling alignment structure is made of a selectively polymerizable material polymerized by a 3D lithography process, the at least one fiber coupling alignment structure comprising:
a support interface surface at which the selectively polymerizable material is in direct contact with the substrate surface of the substrate,
a fiber support region supporting or adapted to support at least one optical fiber in an aligned position for optical coupling to the substrate, and
a reflection surface for reflecting light propagating between an optical fiber and the substrate, wherein at least one optoelectronic and/or photonic element is offset from a default position, and at least one of the fiber support region and the reflection surface comprises at least one compensational offset to compensate for the offset of the at least one optoelectronic and/or photonic element from the default position.

8. The fiber coupling device of claim 7 , wherein the substrate and the fiber coupling alignment structure of the fiber coupling device form an integral part free of adhesive or any other material between the selectively polymerizable material of the fiber coupling alignment structure and the substrate surface of the substrate.

9. The fiber coupling device of claim 7 , wherein the substrate is an optoelectronic or photonic chip that comprises at least one optoelectronic or photonic element.

10. The fiber coupling device of claim 7 , wherein the substrate comprises a mounting substrate and at least one optoelectronic or photonic chip arranged on the mounting substrate, wherein the at least one opto-electronic or photonic chip comprises the at least one optoelectronic or photonic element.

11. The fiber coupling device of claim 10 , wherein the selectively polymerizable material of the fiber coupling alignment structure conforms to and directly adjoins, without any gap or layer in between, a main surface of the chip, at least two sidewalls of the chip and at least a portion of a main surface of the mounting substrate.

12. The fiber coupling device of claim 10 , wherein the selectively polymerizable material of the fiber coupling alignment structure conforms to at least one portion of a main surface of the mounting substrate and bridges over the at least one chip without contacting the chip.

13. The fiber coupling device of claim 7 , further comprising at least one optical fiber which is supported, with its axial direction (a) inclined by more than 45° relative to a normal direction (n) of the main surface of the substrate, by the fiber support region.

14. The fiber coupling device of claim 7 , wherein:
the fiber coupling device comprises a plurality of reflection surfaces for reflecting light propagating between a plurality of optical fibers and a plurality of optoelectronic and/or photonic elements, and
the fiber coupling device comprises a plurality of fiber support regions for supporting the plurality of optical fibers.

15. The fiber coupling device of claim 14 , wherein:
the compensational offset of at least one reflection surface of the plurality of reflection surfaces comprises at least one of a positional offset and a rotational offset, and
the compensational offset of at least one fiber support region of the plurality of fiber support regions comprises at least one of a positional offset and a rotational offset.

16. The fiber coupling device of claim 14 , wherein the compensation offset for the reflective surface is a parametrical offset.

17. A method of forming a fiber coupling device comprising a substrate surface and at least one opto-electronic and/or photonic element and further comp

Assignees

• Ccs Technology Inc
• Corning Optical Communications LLC

Inventors

• De Jong Michael
• Matiss Andreas
• Spreemann Martin
• Ten Have Eric Stephan

Classifications

• B23K2103/50

  Inorganic materials other than metals or composite materials · CPC title

• G02B6/424

  Mounting of the optical light guide · CPC title

• G02B6/425

  Optical features (semiconductor laser arrays H01S5/40; hybrid LED arrays H10W90/00) · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• G02B6/4243

  Mounting of the optical light guide into a groove (mounting optical light guides into a groove in general G02B6/3636) · CPC title