Pluggable Single-Mode Fiber-Array-to-PIC Coupling Using Micro-Lenses

• Published in: IEEE photonics technology letters Vol. 29; no. 22; pp. 1943 - 1946
• Main Authors: Scarcella, Carmelo, Gradkowski, Kamil, Carroll, Lee, Jun-Su Lee, Duperron, Matthieu, Fowler, Daivid, O'Brien, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 15.11.2017
• Subjects: Couplings; Gratings; Integrated optics; integrated optics devices; Lenses; micro-optical devices; Optical fiber couplers; Optical fiber devices; photonic integrated circuits; Photonics
• ISSN: 1041-1135; 1941-0174
• DOI: 10.1109/LPT.2017.2757082

Single-mode optical coupling between fiber and photonic integrated circuit (PIC) requires precision alignment and bonding, and significantly adds to the cost of photonic packaging. This article describes how a pair of micro-lens arrays-one on the Si-PIC and the other on the fiber-array- can be used to achieve fiber-to-PIC grating-coupling with an insertion-loss of 1.7 dB (i.e., a coupling efficiency of 68%) at 1300 nm, and a 1 dB alignment tolerance of ± 30 μm. Such relaxed tolerances allow for a "pluggable" connector to have a make-break insertion-loss reproducibility of 0.2 dB (one standard deviation).