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Waveguide Losses and Input-Output Coupling

This document discusses various types of losses in optical waveguides, including scattering loss, absorption loss, and radiation loss. It describes the main loss mechanisms for different material types. Scattering loss is the predominant loss mechanism in glass or dielectric waveguides, caused by surface imperfections. Absorption loss is most important in semiconductor waveguides. Radiation loss is significant when waveguides are bent. The document also discusses methods for measuring waveguide losses and techniques for coupling light into and out of waveguides, such as prism coupling and grating coupling.

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105 views29 pages

Waveguide Losses and Input-Output Coupling

This document discusses various types of losses in optical waveguides, including scattering loss, absorption loss, and radiation loss. It describes the main loss mechanisms for different material types. Scattering loss is the predominant loss mechanism in glass or dielectric waveguides, caused by surface imperfections. Absorption loss is most important in semiconductor waveguides. Radiation loss is significant when waveguides are bent. The document also discusses methods for measuring waveguide losses and techniques for coupling light into and out of waveguides, such as prism coupling and grating coupling.

Uploaded by

jacko9393
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 29

EE 539B

Integrated Optics and Nanophotonics

2 Waveguide Losses
and Input/Output Coupling
2.1 Losses in optical waveguides
2.2 Waveguide input and output coupling
Lih Y. Lin
Integrated Optics Theory and Technology, by R. G. Hunsperger, 5th ed., Ch. 6-7, Springer Verlag.
EE 539B

2- 1

Loss Mechanisms
Scattering loss
Predominates in glass or dielectric (such as
oxide) waveguides.

Absorption loss
Most important in semiconductor and other
crystalline materials.

Radiation loss
Significant when waveguides are bent.

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 22

Scattering Losses
Volume scattering loss
Caused by imperfections
Loss/unit length proportional to number of
scattering centers per length
Depends strongly on the relative size of the
imperfections compared to in the material
Volume scattering negligible compared to
surface scattering loss

Surface scattering loss


Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 23

Surface Scattering Loss (I)


More significant for higher-order modes.

Number of reflections from each surface:

NR =

L
2t g cot m

Exercise:
A waveguide has tg = 3 m and n2 = 2.0. An optical wave with m = 0.8kn2 and =
900 nm propagates in the waveguide. How many reflections from each surface will
the light experience for each cm traveled?
Convert loss coefficient to dB:

I ( z ) = I 0 e z
L (

dB
) = 4.3 (cm -1 )
cm

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 24

Surface Scattering Loss (II)


3 '

m
cos
1
2
s = A
'
2

sin
m

t + 1 + 1

1
3

1 = 2 n12 k 2 , 3 = 2 n32 k 2
4 2
A=
( 12 + 223 )1 / 2

2 : Variances of surface roughness


s increases as increases.
Higher order mode (smaller m) has higher surface scattering loss.
In dielectric film waveguide, such as glasses and oxides, surface variation ~ 0.1
m s ~ 0.5-5 dB/cm.
In semiconductor waveguides, thickness variation ~ 0.01 m. Surface scattering
loss is negligible compared to absorption loss.
Ref: P.K. Tien, Appl. Opt. V. 10, 2395 (1971)

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 25

Interband Absorption

Design wavguide material compositions so


that the operating wavelength lies beyond
the tail of the absorption curve to minimize
interband absorption.

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 26

Free-Carrier Absorption

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 27

Loss Coefficient for


Free-Carrier Absorption (I)
Motion of the free electrons under an applied electric field E0exp(jt)

eE0

x=

m * exp( jt )
2 jg
p1 = Nex

The displacement causes polarization


And complex dielectric constant

K=

n02

Kr =

( Ne 2 ) /( m * 0 )

2 j g

n02

( Ne 2 ) /( m * 0 )
2

=
n
2 + g 2

( Ne 2 g ) /( m * 0 )
Ki =
2 + g 2
n0: Index of refraction without the free carriers

For most semiconductor materials,

g=

e
<<
m *

: Electron mobility
Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 28

Loss Coefficient for


Free-Carrier Absorption (II)
Complex dielectric constant
Loss

Ki
kKi
fc = k

n
Kr
Ne320
= 2
4 (m*)2 n0c3
Example: n-type GaAs at = 1.15 m

fc (cm -1 ) 10 18 N ( N in cm -3 )

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 29

Radiation Loss (I)


Main loss mechanism for curved waveguide.
To preserve the phase front, the tangential phase velocity must be proportional to
the distance from the center of curvature.

Phase velocity > speed of light when X > Xr.

(R + X r )
R

d
=
dt 0

d
=
dt z

Xr =

z 0
R
0

How far must the photons travel before they can be considered as having been
removed from the guided mode?
Coherent length:

a a2
Zc =
21
Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 210

Radiation Loss (II)


=

1 dP( z) 1 P1

P( z) dz
Pt Zc

P1: Power in the tail of the mode beyond Xr (i.e., the power to be lost by radiation within a length Zc)
Pt: Total power

E ( x) = E0 cos(hx)

for

a
E ( x) = E0 cos(h ) exp ( x (a / 2))
2

a
a
x
2
2

for | x |

a
2

0
1
ha
cos 2 ( ) exp 2 z
R exp ( a ) 1

0
2

=
= C1 exp(C2 R )
a 1

ha
1
2
2
2 + 2h sin(ha ) + cos ( 2 ) a

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 211

Lets pack 16 stages of modulators


d

3d

Scattering and absorption loss: 1 unit per d


Radiation loss (in units):

10

Constraints:
Spacing between waveguides at
least d
Input and output cannot be on the
same side
Waveguides cannot cross each other
Whats the loss you obtain?

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 212

16 x 16 Thermo-Optic Switch
Apply heat to change refractive index:
n/T(K) ~ 10-5

I0

3-dB
directional
coupler

Thin-film heater
I1
I2

I1 I 0 = (1 2 k ) cos 2 ( 2 ) + sin 2 ( 2 )
2

I 2 I 0 = 4 k (1 k ) cos 2 ( 2 )

k : power coupling ratio in the directiona l coupler


Use Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration for 2x2 switch unit
Insertion loss = 6.6dB
T. Goh, M. Yasu, K. Hattori, A. Himeno, M. Okuno, and Y. Ohmori, IEEE Photonics Technol. Lett.,
June, 1998.

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 213

Measurement of Waveguide Losses


End-Fire Coupling to Waveguides of Different Lengths

ln(P1 / P2 )
=
Z2 Z1
Q: Disadvantages?
Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 214

Measurement of Waveguide Losses


Prism-Coupled Loss Measurement

Advantages:
Non-destructive.
Light can be selectively coupled into each mode by properly choosing the
angle of incidence.

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 215

Coupling light into the waveguide and out


of the waveguide incurs losses too.
Efficient coupling design is important.

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 216

General Definitions for Coupling Loss


x

Pin

Pm

Coupling efficiency to the m-th mode

Pm
m =
Pin
Q: A single mode optical beam is coupled into a waveguide with guiding core dimension
a few times larger than the wavelength. What kind of modes will be generated in the
waveguide?
Coupling loss (dB)

Pin
L = 10 log
Pm
Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 217

Direct Focusing

m =

A( x, y) Bm* ( x, y)dxdy
2

A(x, y) dxdy B(x, y) dxdy

A( x, y) : Fielddistribution of the incidentbeam


Bm ( x, y) : Fielddistribution of the m - th mode
In most cases, A(x,y) can be represented by Gaussian beams.
Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 218

TEM0,0 Gaussian Beam


Wavefront change

Beam spreading

x2 + y 2
W0
K
exp
A(r ) = A0

W ( z) W 2 ( z)

1 z

exp j kz tan

z0
k ( x2 + y 2 )
exp j

2R( z)

Amplitudefactor

z
W ( z ) = W0 1 +
z0

Longitudinal phase

z0 2
R( z ) = z 1 +
z

Radialphase

W02
z0

Beam radius

Radius of curvature
of the wavefront
Rayleigh range

Q: Which factor affects the coupling most?


rd

Ref: Verdeyen, Laser Electronics, 3 ed., Prentice Hall.

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 219

Gaussian Beam Through a Thin Lens

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 220

End-Butt Coupling
Exact coupling efficiency can be obtained by overlap integrals.
Approximation: (assuming all waveguide modes are well confined, and t g t L )

m =

nL ng
tg
64
1
2 t g
2 m

cos

cos

2
2t
2
t
2
(m + 1)2 2 (nL + ng )2

L t
L
g
1

(m + 1)t L

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 221

Misalignment Effect
Longitudinal misalignment

Lateral misalignment

Q: Why is it oscillating? Can we


eliminate the oscillation?

X
P
= cos 2
P0
tL

for t g < t L , X

tL tg
2

Example
MathCAD program for fiber-waveguide
Lih Y. Lin
coupling.
EE 539B

2- 22

Tapered Mode Size Converters

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 223

Prism Couplers
Air-waveguide coupling
Phase-matching condition

m = kn1 sin m
cannot be satisfied.

Prism-waveguide coupling
Phase-matching condition

m = kn p sin m
can be satisfied.
(Assuming normal
incidence to the prism.)

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 224

Example: Output Prism Coupler


A prism coupler with index np = 2.2 is used to observe the modes of a
waveguide. The light source is a He-Ne laser with 0 = 632.8 nm. If the light from
a particular mode is seen at an angle of 26.43 with the normal to the prism
surface, what is the propagation constant m for that mode?

Q: What is the interaction length required to obtain complete coupling?


Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 225

Coupled-Mode Theory

2
: Coupling coefficient (depending on overlap integral
between the prism mode and the waveguide mode)
L =

L=

=
cos m 2

For a given L, the coupling coefficient required for complete coupling:

cos m
2W

Q1: What defines W?


Q2: What will happen if L > /2?
Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 226

Notes on Prism Coupling

In order to get 100% coupling with a uniform beam, the trailing edge
of the beam must exactly intersect the right-angle corner of the
prism.
Disadvantages
For most semiconductor waveguides, m ~ kn2 Difficult to find
prism materials

Incident beam must be highly collimated


Coupling efficiency sensitive to the separation between the prism
and the waveguide
Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 227

Grating Coupler

Periodic structure of the grating perturbs the waveguide modes in the region
underneath the grating.

2
, = 0, 1, 2, ...

0 : Propagation constant of the m-th mode


= 0 +

covered by the grating


0 ~ m
Phase-matching condition:
can be satisfied even though

= kn1 sin m
m > kn1

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 228

Example of Grating Coupler


Grating: = 0.4 m on a GaAs planar waveguide
0 = 1.15 m
Propagation constant for the lowest-order mode in the waveguide: 0 = 3.6k
Assume 1st-order coupling, || = 1, what incident angle should the light make in
order to couple to the lowest-order mode?
At what 0 do we start to need higher-order coupling?

Lih Y. Lin
EE 539B 229

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