Despite the current widespread use of silicon photonics, fiber coupling remains one of the principal challenges in mass production. Integrated microlens couplers (IMCs) have been demonstrated as an efficient, broadband, and polarization-insensitive method for wafer-scale fiber-to-chip coupling, with a previously achieved free-space coupling loss of 0.6 dB. In this project, our objective is to further optimize the performance of IMCs by addressing current sources of loss and fabrication limitations. Potential research directions include optimizing the waveguide for single-mode behavior, exploring gradient-index structures as waveguide apodizers to reduce diffraction sidelobes, and investigating new polymer materials for improved heat resistance of the microlens. We anticipate that these efforts will lead to enhanced coupling efficiency and fabrication robustness of our IMCs.
Project is currently funded by: Industry Sponsored Research