An optical device for coupling light propagating between a waveguide and an optical transmission component is provided. The optical device includes a taper portion and a grating portion. The taper portion is disposed between the grating portion and the waveguide. The grating portion includes rows of grating patterns. A first size of a first grating pattern in a first row of grating patterns is larger than a second size of a second grating pattern in a second row of grating patterns. A first distance between the first row of grating patterns and the waveguide is less than a second distance between the second row of grating patterns and the waveguide.

A manufacturing system for creating waveguides that include optical gratings having high coupling efficiencies is described herein. The waveguides are used to guide image light from a source assembly to an eye of a user. The optical gratings are used to couple light into an optical waveguide element and/or decouple light from the optical waveguide element. The manufacturing system creates optical gratings by patterning and adjusts refractive indexes of the optical gratings by infusion and post-processing. A refractive index of an optical grating can be uniform or non-uniform. In-coupling efficiencies of light into a waveguide via the optical gratings and/or out-coupling efficiencies of light out of a waveguide via the optical gratings can be increased. The manufacturing system includes a patterning system, an infusion system, and a post-processing system.

The invention describes an integrated photonics platform comprising a plurality of at least three vertically-stacked waveguides which enables light transfer from one waveguide of the photonic structure into another waveguide by means of controlled tunneling method. The light transfer involves at least three waveguides wherein light power flows from initial waveguide into the final waveguide while tunneling through the intermediate ones. As an exemplary realization of the controlled tunneling waveguide integration, the invention describes a photonic integrated structure consisting of laser guide as upper waveguide, passive guide as middle waveguide, and modulator guide as lower waveguides. Controlled tunneling is enabled by the overlapped lateral tapers formed on the same or different vertical waveguide levels. In the further embodiments, the controlled tunneling platform is modified to implement wavelength-(de)multiplexing, polarization-splitting and beam-splitting functions.

The invention describes an integrated photonics platform comprising a plurality of at least three vertically-stacked waveguides which enables light transfer from one waveguide of the photonic structure into another waveguide by means of controlled tunneling method. The light transfer involves at least three waveguides wherein light power flows from initial waveguide into the final waveguide while tunneling through the intermediate ones. As an exemplary realization of the controlled tunneling waveguide integration, the invention describes a photonic integrated structure consisting of laser guide as upper waveguide, passive guide as middle waveguide, and modulator guide as lower waveguides. Controlled tunneling is enabled by the overlapped lateral tapers formed on the same or different vertical waveguide levels. In the further embodiments, the controlled tunneling platform is modified to implement wavelength-(de)multiplexing, polarization-splitting and beam-splitting functions.

According to various embodiments, there is provided an optical device including a first waveguide configured to guide a light wave along a longitudinal axis; a first grating at least partially formed in the first waveguide, the first grating arranged away from the longitudinal axis in a first direction; and a second grating at least partially formed in the first waveguide, the second grating arranged away from the longitudinal axis in a second direction; wherein the second direction is different from the first direction.

An alignment optical circuit includes: a plurality of grating couplers that are formed on a substrate and arranged on a line; a plurality of optical waveguides that are connected to the plurality of grating couplers, respectively. Further, the alignment optical circuit includes an optical sensor that is formed on the substrate and measures optical intensity at a first light-receiving spot and a second light-receiving spot on a line along an arrangement direction of the plurality of grating couplers.

A semiconductor device includes a photonic die and an optical die. The photonic die includes a grating coupler and an optical device. The optical device is connected to the grating coupler to receive radiation of predetermined wavelength incident on the grating coupler. The optical die is disposed over the photonic die and includes a substrate with optical nanostructures. Positions and shapes of the optical nanostructures are such to perform an optical transformation on the incident radiation of predetermined wavelength when the incident radiation passes through an area of the substrate where the optical nanostructures are located. The optical nanostructures overlie the grating coupler so that the incident radiation of predetermined wavelength crosses the optical die where the optical nanostructures are located before reaching the grating coupler.

A semiconductor device includes a photonic die and an optical die. The photonic die includes a grating coupler and an optical device. The optical device is connected to the grating coupler to receive radiation of predetermined wavelength incident on the grating coupler. The optical die is disposed over the photonic die and includes a substrate with optical nanostructures. Positions and shapes of the optical nanostructures are such to perform an optical transformation on the incident radiation of predetermined wavelength when the incident radiation passes through an area of the substrate where the optical nanostructures are located. The optical nanostructures overlie the grating coupler so that the incident radiation of predetermined wavelength crosses the optical die where the optical nanostructures are located before reaching the grating coupler.

An integrated optical beam steering device includes a planar Luneburg lens that collimates beams from different inputs in different directions within the lens plane. It also includes a curved (e.g., semi-circular or arced) grating coupler that diffracts the collimated beams out of the lens plane. The beams can be steered in the plane by controlling the direction along which the lens is illuminated and out of the plane by varying the beam wavelength. Unlike other beam steering devices, this device can operate over an extremely wide field of view—up to 180°—without any aberrations off boresight. In other words, the beam quality is uniform in all directions, unlike with aplanatic lenses, thanks to the circular symmetry of the planar Luneburg lens, which may be composed of subwavelength features. The lens is also robust to misalignment and fabrication imperfections and can be made using standard CMOS processes.

An integrated optical beam steering device includes a planar Luneburg lens that collimates beams from different inputs in different directions within the lens plane. It also includes a curved (e.g., semi-circular or arced) grating coupler that diffracts the collimated beams out of the lens plane. The beams can be steered in the plane by controlling the direction along which the lens is illuminated and out of the plane by varying the beam wavelength. Unlike other beam steering devices, this device can operate over an extremely wide field of view—up to 180°—without any aberrations off boresight. In other words, the beam quality is uniform in all directions, unlike with aplanatic lenses, thanks to the circular symmetry of the planar Luneburg lens, which may be composed of subwavelength features. The lens is also robust to misalignment and fabrication imperfections and can be made using standard CMOS processes.