| CPC G02B 6/1228 (2013.01) | 15 Claims |
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8. A device comprising:
first, second and third elements fabricated on a common substrate;
wherein the first element comprises an active waveguide structure supporting a first optical mode, the second element comprises a passive waveguide structure supporting a second optical mode, and the third element, at least partly butt-coupled to the first element, comprises an intermediate waveguide structure comprising a top sublayer overlying a bottom sublayer overlying the second element, the top sublayer comprising a core of an intermediate waveguide supporting at least one intermediate mode;
wherein a tapered waveguide structure in at least one of the intermediate waveguide structure and the passive waveguide structure facilitates efficient adiabatic transformation between one of the intermediate optical modes and the second optical mode;
wherein an interface between the first and third elements is angled at a value optimized to minimize reflections;
wherein no adiabatic transformation occurs between any of the intermediate optical modes and the first optical mode; and
wherein mutual alignments of the first, second and third elements are defined using lithographic alignment marks that facilitate precise alignment between layers formed during processing steps of fabricating the first, second and third elements.
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