Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Hyung-jae Lee

Byong-gwon You

Tae-hyung Rhee

Tae-Hyung Rhee

Yong-woo Lee

Sang-yun Yi

Byong-Gwon You

Yong-Woo Lee

Woo-hyuk Jang

Hyoun-soo Kim

Eun-ji Kim

Byong-Gwon Yoo

T&auml;e-hyung Rhee

Phil-seung Seo

An optical waveguide chip includes an output waveguide connected to an optical fiber, an optical fiber array module, or another optical waveguide chip. The output waveguide has a coupling cross-section wider than the core of the optical fiber, the core of an optical fiber of the optical fiber array module, and the waveguide of the other optical waveguide, respectively. The cross-section width of the output waveguide of the optical waveguide chip gradually increases toward an end of the waveguide with a slant angle of 10&deg; or less. Therefore, when the optical waveguide chip is connected to the optical fiber, the optical fiber array module, or the other optical waveguide chip during packaging of an optical waveguide device, an offset of the optical axis of about &plusmn;20% of the width of the waveguide guide is allowable. As a result, there are no additional or extra steps in fabrication of an optical waveguide chip and no additional loss of the optical characteristics, and the required interconnection or production time is considerably reduced.

Optical waveguide chip and method of formation thereof

An optical fiber array connector and a method for fabricating the optical fiber array connector are disclosed. The disclosed optical fiber array connector an upper base plate and a lower base plate each being provided at a main surface thereof, in a desired region, with a plurality of first grooves each extending throughout the base plate in a direction corresponding to a longitudinal direction of an optical fiber to be mounted therein, and in regions other than the region where the first grooves are arranged, with a plurality of second grooves each extending throughout the base plate in a direction corresponding to a longitudinal direction of an alignment pin to be inserted therein, the upper and lower base plates being bonded to each other in such a fashion that the first and second grooves of the upper base plate face those of the lower base plate, respectively. A plurality of optical fibers are mounted between the upper and lower base plates in such a fashion that each of them is in contact with associated ones of the facing first grooves of the upper and lower base plates. Tubes are mounted between the upper and lower base plates in such a fashion that each of them is in contact with associated ones of the facing second grooves of the upper and lower base plates, each of the tubes having an insertion hole adapted to receive an alignment pin therein.

Optical fiber array connector and method for fabricating the same

A metal coated optical fiber array module including a metal coated optical fiber array, an arranging substrate having arranging grooves for loading the optical fiber array, wherein a metal is coated on the upper surface including the arranging grooves and the optical fiber array loaded into the arranging grooves is united therewith through the medium of the metal, and a cover for protecting and fixing the optical fiber array loaded into the arranging grooves of the arranging substrate. It is preferable that the optical fiber array module further includes a planar substrate having holes into which the optical fiber array is to be inserted, wherein the optical fiber array loaded on the arranging substrate is inserted into the holes and united with the arranging substrate. After the optical fibers are loaded, the ends thereof are easily polished. When the optical fibers are attached to a waveguide device, the ends of the arrayed optical fibers are enlarged to increase an attachment strength at the contact surface. The axes of the optical fibers are prevented from being tilted, by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation upon loading the optical fibers. Also, when the optical waveguide device is attached to a multi-core optical fiber, a contact surface is widened, thus improving environmental characteristics and reliability of a device package upon connection of the optical fibers.

Metal coated optical fiber array module

A method for fabricating low-loss optically active device having an optical waveguide constructed of an optical waveguide core region (non-linear core region) necessitating the non-linear effect when waveguiding an optical signal, and an optical waveguide core region (linear core region) not necessitating the non-linear effect, the method includes method for fabricating an optically active device having an optical waveguide constructed of an optical waveguide core region (non-linear core region) necessitating the non-linear effect when waveguiding an optical signal, and an optical waveguide core region (linear core region) not necessitating the non-linear effect, the method includes the steps of: forming a lower clad layer having a refractive index lower than the material of the waveguide core regions and optical transparency on a substrate, forming a linear optical polymer layer on the lower clad layer by coating linear optical polymer having a refractive index lower than the material of the lower clad layer, forming a first metal layer at a region on the lower clad layer, other than the regions where the waveguide is to be disposed, etching a linear optical polymer layer without the first metal layer formed thereon, forming a non-linear optical polymer layer on the substrate having the non-linear core region, removing the non-linear optical polymer layer stacked to be higher than the waveguide core regions, removing the first metal layer, forming a second metal layer on the waveguide from which the first metal layer is removed, removing the linear optical polymer of the non-second metal layer portion, and forming an upper clad layer on the substrate with the linear optical polymer using a material having a refractive index lower than the waveguide core regions and optical transparency. The waveguide is formed using non-linear optical polymer only at the region where the non-linear effect such as optical modulation or optical switching occurs, and is formed using linear optical polymer at the remaining regions, thereby minimizing the overall waveguiding loss of the waveguide.

Method for fabricating low-loss optically active device

A fiber array module using soldering, and a fabrication method thereof, in which the method includes the steps of: forming holes into which optical fibers can be inserted, in a silicon wafer substrate or a ceramic substrate at predetermined intervals, forming a metal layer on the walls of the holes and the entire surface of the substrate, to allow walls of the holes and an entire surface of the substrate to be plated with a solder alloy material; plating the walls of the holes and the entire surface of the substrate with the solder alloy material; inserting metal-coated optical fibers into the holes plated with the solder alloy material; positioning the optical fibers at the centers of the holes using the surface tension of the solder alloy material, by heating the resultant structure; fixing the optical fibers, inserted into the holes of the substrate, to the substrate by pouring epoxy curable by heat or ultraviolet light thereon, to fabricate a fiber array module capable of being accurately attached to an optical waveguide device, and polishing an end of the optical fiber module formed of optical fibers protruding through the holes, to provide optical luminance. Accordingly, the environmental characteristics and reliability of a device package are improved upon the connection of the optical fibers. Also, the fiber array module is simply manufactured, and the ends of loaded optical fibers are easily polished, thus fabricating an inexpensive connection module. Furthermore, the optical fibers are accurately arrayed by self-alignment using the surface tension of the solder material.

Optical fiber array module using soldering and fabrication method thereof

An apparatus and a method for combining an optical waveguide and optical fibers are provided. The apparatus includes an apparatus for combining optical fibers with an optical waveguide device, including a guide rail portion for alignment including guide rails for alignment spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, on a flat substrate, an optical fiber array portion put on the guide rail portion for alignment when the optical fibers are combined with the optical waveguide device, including an array of grooves for arranging the optical fibers spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in an array pattern, and including guide grooves for alignment having a concavo-convex relationship with the guide rail portion for alignment, and an optical waveguide device chip put on the guide rail portion when the optical fibers are combined with the optical waveguide, including the optical waveguide connected to the optical fibers of the optical fiber array portion, and including guide grooves for alignment spaced apart from each other by the same distance as that by which the rails of the guide rail portion are spaced apart from each other and having a concavo-convex relationship with the guide rail portion for alignment, to the outside of an optical waveguide area in which the cores of the optical fibers of the optical fiber array portion respectively coincide with those of the optical waveguide. According to the present invention, a light source and a photodetector (required for active alignment) are not necessary. A complicated alignment process of performing an alignment with respect to an alignment axis having six degrees of freedom with submicron precision is not necessary. Also, it is possible to save time and money when attaching the optical fibers to the optical waveguide device chip.

Apparatus and method for combining optical waveguide and optical fiber

An optical fiber passive alignment apparatus for passively aligning an optical fiber with an input/output optical waveguide of an integrated optical device, and a method therefor. The optical fiber passive alignment apparatus includes: an optical waveguide formed on a planar substrate along the longitudinal direction of the planar substrate, having a core which is shorter than the planar substrate; an optical fiber mounting portion formed to a predetermined length on the planar substrate in the longitudinal direction of the planar substrate, such that the optical waveguide and the optical fiber contact each other, for receiving the optical fiber; and a cavity located between the optical fiber mounting portion and a core of the optical waveguide, filled with a material whose refractive index slightly increases on irradiation by UV rays such that the refractive index of the material is not substantially different from the refractive index of a core of the optical fiber. Therefore, forming the optical waveguide whose core flares gradually reduces dependency of coupling loss on horizontal displacement, and importance of precisely positioning the optical fiber is decreased.

Optical fiber passive alignment apparatus and method therefor

The present invention includes a pigtailing method between an optical waveguide device and an optical fiber array module, comprising the steps of preparing the optical waveguide device having optical waveguides of n1 input ports and n2 output ports on the lateral surface of a substrate, wherein n1 and n2 are integers equal to or greater than 1, aligning the optical fiber array module having optical fibers arranged at equal distances between the input ports and between the output ports, to the input and output ports of the optical waveguide device, and attaching the aligned optical fiber array module to the lateral surface of the optical waveguide device. Since only one attachment process of the optical fiber array module to the optical waveguide device is required, the fabrication cost can be reduced.

Pigtailing method between optical waveguide device and optical fiber

An optical fiber passive alignment apparatus for passively aligning optical fibers with input/output optical waveguides of an integrated optical device includes an optical fiber array block on which the optical fibers are mounted with a uniform spacing and having alignment grooves parallel to the optical fibers, and an optical fiber fixing plate for fixing the mounted optical fibers to a substrate; an optical waveguide device chip having an input/output optical waveguide array consisting of optical waveguides corresponding to the optical fibers, for coupling with the optical fibers, and alignment holes; and an alignment platform having first alignment ridges separated by the same spacing as the alignment grooves, for coupling with the alignment grooves, alignment bumps in positions corresponding to the alignment holes, for coupling with the alignment holes, and a space between the first alignment ridges for preventing the optical fiber plate of the optical fiber block array from contacting the alignment platform. The optical fiber passive alignment apparatus does not require a light source and a photodetector, or precise alignment with respect to an alignment axis having six degrees of freedom, so that less time and cost are required for attaching optical fibers to the optical waveguide device chip.

Optical fiber passive alignment apparatus using alignment platform

An optical waveguide device fabricating method which requires that a lower clad layer is formed on the surface of a glass substrate, a metal layer is formed on the lower clad layer, and a metal pattern is formed by selectively etching the metal layer, for forming a waveguide core therein. Then, an optical polymer layer is formed in the metal pattern, the optical polymer layer in a metal-free portion of the metal pattern is cured by irradiating UV light onto the lower surface of the substrate, and the waveguide core is formed by removing the other portion of optical polymer layer except for the cured portion thereof and the metal layer. Finally, an upper clad layer is formed on the lower clad layer and the waveguide core.

Optical waveguide device fabricating method

A low-loss optically active device is provided by forming a lower clad layer using linear polymer on a substrate capable of transmitting ultraviolet (UV) light, forming a non-linear polymer core region of a waveguide region; forming a linear polymer core region on opposite sides of the non-linear core region, and forming an upper clad layer on the lower clad layer and linear and non-linear core regions of the waveguide region. The waveguide is formed using non-linear polymer only at the region where the non-linear effect such as optical modulation or optical switching occurs, and is formed using linear polymer at the remaining regions, thereby minimizing the overall waveguiding loss of the device.

Low-loss optically active device and manufacturing method therefor

A hybrid optical waveguide having linear and curved sections through which optical signals pass, includes: a planar substrate layer; a lower cladding layer formed of a material having optical transparency in a predetermined range of optical communication wavelengths, on the planar substrate layer; a core layer formed on the lower cladding layer where the optical waveguide is formed, the waveguide constituted of the linear section formed of a first optical polymer having a higher refractive index than the lower cladding layer and the curved section formed of a second optical polymer having a higher refractive index than the first optical polymer; and an upper cladding layer formed of a material having a lower refractive index than the first and the second optical polymers, surrounding the waveguide core layer. The optical waveguide having the linear and curved sections has reduced traveling losses and optical fiber coupling losses, and minimizes the size of the waveguide cross-section.

Hybrid optical waveguide and manufacturing method thereof

A polarization device is provided for splitting a transverse electric (TE) mode component and a transverse magnetic (TM) mode component into two output waveguides and for coupling the inputs of a TE mode component and a TM mode component to an output optical waveguide. The integrated optic polarization device includes, in an integrated optic substrate, a first waveguide capable of simultaneously allowing to pass through two mode components, whose polarizations are perpendicular to each other, and a second waveguide, in the same substrate, for allowing to pass through only one of the two polarization mode components. The device has a coupled area having a predetermined length and across which the first and second waveguides are parallel and separated by a predetermined distance. The device also has a non-coupled area in which the first and second waveguides are separated by a distance wider than the predetermined distance. The polarization device can either split or couple the polarization modes and can be made by a simple fabrication process that does not require a difficult process for setting up a precise branching angle, as is required in an existing Y-type splitter.

Growing community of inventors

Yongin, South Korea

Hyung-jae Lee