US 11,886,014 B2
Two-stage expanded beam optical coupling
Junwen He, Leuven (BE); Joris Van Campenhout, Leuven (BE); Geert Van Steenberge, Sint-Amandsberg (BE); Jeroen Missinne, Ghent (BE); Yigit Yilmaz, Heverlee (BE); Do Won Kim, Leuven (BE); and Douglas Charles La Tulipe, Heverlee (BE)
Assigned to Imec VZW, Leuven (BE)
Filed by IMEC VZW, Leuven (BE); Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, KU LEUVEN R&D, Leuven (BE); and Universiteit Gent, Ghent (BE)
Filed on Nov. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/522,203.
Claims priority of application No. 20206369 (EP), filed on Nov. 9, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0146756 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. G02B 6/36 (2006.01); G02B 6/12 (2006.01); G02B 6/132 (2006.01); G02B 6/42 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/36 (2013.01) [G02B 6/12004 (2013.01); G02B 6/132 (2013.01); G02B 6/4214 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A silicon-based photonic chip comprising an interface for optically coupling the photonic chip to an optical fiber or an optical fiber assembly, wherein the interface comprises:
a single-mode waveguide configured to guide light and to provide a first light beam;
a first optical element configured to expand the first light beam in a first direction that is in-plane of the photonic chip and to confine the first light beam in a direction that is perpendicular to the plane of the photonic chip, thereby providing an expanded light beam; and
a second optical element configured to deflect the expanded light beam and to further expand the expanded light beam in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, thereby providing an output light beam from the photonic chip having a beam dimension in the first direction that is the same as a beam dimension in the first direction of the expanded light beam provided by the first optical element.