University of Twente Student Theses
Investigating the effect of misalignment on the efficiency of fiber array to grating coupling to support the design of a sophisticated passive degree of freedom alignment system
Mulder, L.H.W. (2023) Investigating the effect of misalignment on the efficiency of fiber array to grating coupling to support the design of a sophisticated passive degree of freedom alignment system.
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| Abstract: | Photonic devices, such as lasers, waveguides, and photodetectors, play a important role in facilitating high-speed data transmission, efficient energy conversion, and advanced sensing capabilities. These components are commonly integrated into photonic integrated circuits (PICs). A critical step in PIC manufacturing is testing, where achieving sub-micron alignment between optical fibers and grating couplers is important for reliable signal transmission. The strict alignment tolerances contribute significantly to testing and packaging expenses, constituting approximately 80% of total manufacturing costs in PIC production. Existing automated alignment systems, often complex and costly due to active alignment in six degrees of freedom, can benefit from simplification by reducing active degrees of freedom. This reduction can result in substantial cost savings, decreased maintenance requirements, and, in some cases, shorter alignment times. The research focuses on evaluating the impact of rotational misalignments on coupling efficiency. It aims to determine whether a system with passive degrees can achieve efficiencies comparable to fully active alignment machines and establish necessary tolerances for such a system. The investigation involves practical experiments and the development of a theoretical framework to compare misalignments with coupling efficiency. An acceptable loss criterion of -9 dB is set for coupling between the fiber arrays and grating couplers, and this loss budget is allocated among all axes to determine the maximum allowed misalignment between fiber arrays and grating couplers. The findings indicate that a system with passive degrees of freedom can attain coupling efficiency comparable to fully active systems. Rotational misalignments around the optical axis of fibers result in the most significant loss, while other rotational axes have relatively more lenient maximum misalignment angles. These findings underscore the importance of allocating a higher loss budget to challenging tolerances in system design for a more efficient distribution of the budget. The significance of the findings extends to both theoretical and practical realms. The integration of theoretical approaches and empirical measurements clarifies the intricate relationship between misalignments and coupling efficiency. By quantifying the impact of misalignments along rotational axes, this research lays the groundwork for sophisticated optical alignment system designs and strategies based on fiber array to grating coupler alignemnt . |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Clients: | IMS, Almelo, Netherlands |
| Faculty: | ET: Engineering Technology |
| Subject: | 52 mechanical engineering |
| Programme: | Mechanical Engineering MSc (60439) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/97806 |
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