Study On Optical Communication Devices Based On Selfoc Slab Waveguides

With the increase of our information requirement, optical networks call for newer and better optical devices. More and more researches on optical devices based on Gradient-Index(GRIN) materials are being conducted recently. The number of optical system's components can be reduced and the processing techniques can be simplified when GRIN optical devices are employed. So it is a good way to use GRIN optical devices for optical system's microminiaturization, optimization and simplification.In this paper, a selfoc slab waveguide with lateral gradient index distribution is proposed. This novel GRIN component has the same Fourier transform function as a selfoc rod lens along the lateral direction, and it has the function of beam restriction along the vertical direction. This selfoc slab waveguide can be widely used in optical communication: it can be used as a coupler for coupling a LD or LED array to a fiber; and it can be used to fabricate optical power splitters; Also it can be used in an unbent arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) to avoid the technical disadvantages of a conventional AWG.Firstly Geometric Optics is employed for multimode selfoc slab waveguides'optical property analysis. Then the 2D semi-vectorial beam propagation method (SV-BPM) is proposed and used for single mode selfoc slab waveguides'simulation. A selfoc slab waveguide 0.25 pitch long is fabricated and some testing experiments about its optical property are carried out.Next two multi-ports optical power splitters based on selfoc slab waveguides, one is single mode and the other is multimode, are schemed out. Two types of micro lens arrays are designed for the selfoc slab waveguides and the receiving fibers'efficient coupling; and the loss performances of the power splitters are also analyzed. A multimode power splitter is fabricated and it shows very good performance.Finally a novel unbent AWG based on two selfoc slab waveguides is presented. In order to understand the novel unbent AWG, first the principle, design and 2D scalar BPM simulation of a conventional AWG are introduced. Then the principle of the novel unbent AWG is presented, and a 1×8 novel unbent AWG is designed. 2D SV-BPM simulation results show that this novel unbent AWG'dense wavelength demultiplexing function is desirable.