Controlled inter-mode cross-talk in optical waveguides

摘要

Techniques and devices are disclosed to provide controlled inter-mode cross-talk in multimode optical waveguides. The structure of a bent multimode optical waveguide can be designed or configured in a way that either substantially minimizes inter-mode cross talk or achieves a desired inter-mode cross-talk. Specific examples based on the disclosed waveguide designs are provided for semiconductor integrated waveguide devices.

主权项

1. A method for designing a multimode waveguide device, comprising:
providing an initial virtual multimode waveguide structure that supports different optical modes and is structured to have desired optical properties and behavior in guiding the different optical modes; providing a transformation function representing optical properties of a target multimode waveguide structure that is different in structure from the initial virtual multimode waveguide structure and that is to be designed to substantially retain the desired optical properties and behavior of the initial virtual multimode waveguide in guiding the different optical modes in the target multimode waveguide structure; adjusting a geometry, a dimension or an effective refractive index of the target multimode waveguide structure, thus changing the transformation function, to modify the target multimode waveguide structure while substantially retaining the desired optical properties and behavior of the initial virtual multimode waveguide in guiding the different optical modes in the target multimode waveguide structure; and continuing to adjust a geometry, a dimension or an effective refractive index of the target multimode waveguide structure to optimize the transformation function to achieve an optimized target multimode waveguide structure which has a desired structure different from the initial virtual multimode waveguide structure and which substantially retains the desired optical properties and behavior of the initial virtual multimode waveguide in guiding the different optical modes in the optimized target multimode waveguide structure.