Two-dimensional planar lightwave circuit integrated spatial filter array and method of use thereof

摘要

A large coherent two-dimensional (2D) spatial filter array (SFA), 30 by 30 or larger, is produced by coupling a 2D planar lightwave circuit (PLC) array with a pair of lenslet arrays at the input and output side. The 2D PLC array is produced by stacking a plurality of chips, each chip with a plural number of straight PLC waveguides. A pupil array is coated onto the focal plane of the lenslet array. The PLC waveguides are produced by deposition of a plural number of silica layers on the silicon wafer, followed by photolithography and reactive ion etching (RIE) processes. A plural number of mode filters are included in the silica-on-silicon waveguide such that the PLC waveguide is transparent to the fundamental mode but higher order modes are attenuated by 40 dB or more.

主权项

1. An optical spatial filter array comprising a two dimensional planar lightwave circuit array, a first and a second microlens arrays, said planar light waves circuit array being coupled to said first and second microlens arrays at an inlet and outlet respectively, said planar lightwave circuit array comprising a plurality of vertically stacked silicon wafer chips, each of said chips having a plurality of straight planar lightwave circuit waveguides.