US 12,019,286 B2
Optical edge coupler having a heterogeneous cladding structure
Alexandre Horth, Astoria, NY (US); Jiabao Zheng, Port Washington, NY (US); and Matthew Streshinsky, Taos, NM (US)
Assigned to Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy, Espoo (FI)
Filed by Nokia Solutions and Networks OY, Espoo (FI)
Filed on Dec. 23, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/561,063.
Prior Publication US 2023/0204875 A1, Jun. 29, 2023
Int. Cl. G02B 6/42 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/4206 (2013.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a substrate having a substantially planar main surface; and
an optical edge coupler located adjacent an edge of the substrate; and
wherein the optical edge coupler comprises:
a plurality of optical cores supported along said main surface of the substrate; and
a vertical stack of dielectric layers arranged along said main surface, the vertical stack of dielectric layers being an optical cladding for the optical cores such that some of the optical cores are located in a first subset of the layers and others of the optical cores are located in a second subset of the layers, each of the first and second subsets including respective one or more of the layers, the one or more layers of the first subset having a different refraction index than the one or more layers of the second subset, the one or more layers of the first subset being closer to the main surface than the one or more layers of the second subset, at least some of the optical cores having end segments thereof adjacent to the edge, wherein each layer of the second subset has a greater refraction index than each layer of the first subset.