Waveguide-coupling to be used in a micro optical laser gyroscope

Ingmar Leber; Thalke Niesel; Andreas Dietzel

doi:10.1117/12.2189522

23 September 2015 Waveguide-coupling to be used in a micro optical laser gyroscope

Ingmar Leber, Thalke Niesel, Andreas Dietzel

Proceedings Volume 9577, Optical Modeling and Performance Predictions VII; 95770O (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2189522
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2015, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

A new concept for the realization of a micro optical laser gyroscope was developed. This new concept involves a passive free space ring resonator in which the light is circulating by reflections at three double mirrors and an external light source to activate the resonator. To couple the light in and out of the resonator waveguide-couplers are employed. This paper reports on the simulation of waveguide-coupler structures and on experimental investigation of coupling efficiency using micro fabricated SU-8 coupler structures. The modeled coupler structures consist of two parallel waveguides. The waveguides with rectangular profile are in close proximity i.e. separated only by a narrow gap over a certain path length Waveguide-coupler structures with similar geometries have been micro fabricated and optically characterized. It has been found that as a consequence of the lithographic formation of SU-8 high aspect ratio waveguides residual SU- 8 material remains between the waveguides as the gaps become very small (below 5 μm). In these structures a parasitic connection between the two parallel waveguides could be identified. No coupling effect was observed in the micro fabricated devices with perfect gap separation. From comparison of simulations and experiments we can conclude that there is a coupling mechanism based on the residual SU-8 material bridging the separation gap. Bridging allows coupling light at gaps even larger than 1 μm. Such residual material coupling can be achieved with SU8 lithographic high aspect ratio structuring (height 30 μm x width 50 μm or height 30 μm x width 20 μm) in which sub μm-gaps are almost impossible to produce with standard technologies.

Citation Download Citation

Ingmar Leber, Thalke Niesel, and Andreas Dietzel "Waveguide-coupling to be used in a micro optical laser gyroscope", Proc. SPIE 9577, Optical Modeling and Performance Predictions VII, 95770O (23 September 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2189522

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available