Additional Products

COUPLING AND PACKAGING

In addition to supplying enabling optical I/O (input/output) components (PROFA)

to you or your preferred packaging vendor for wafer-level probing, coupling or packaging, Chiral Photonics also has provided optoelectronic packaging services that has include both electrical and optical I/O as well as thermal control. We have received customers’ diced chips and returned packaged and connectorized devices.

More recently our work has focused on more scalable high bandwidth density I/O packaging featuring multicore fiber-based optical I/O that can be passively aligned using standard pick-and-place tooling and is scalable to very high bandwidth I/O. If you have applications that could benefit from this, we’d love to work with you.

We aim to work with our customers in the best way suited to their needs. We can help you develop a process and transfer it fully to you or we can provide packaging services.

Speak to us early in your design process to discuss your needs with regard to:

  • Low-loss edge or face coupling for both probing and packaging
  • Packages customized to application needs for high frequency, low frequency or all-optical/passive I/O and optimized to meet your form factor requirements
  • Pigtailed or pluggable package designs
  • Device operating conditions and package/test requirements: cryogenic, high temperature, hermetic

Contact us to obtain coupling and packaging design guidelines.

Exemplary Coupling and Packaging

Below are a sampling of exemplary coupling/packaging jobs that we have done.

High Density Optical Packaging of High Radix Silicon Photonic Switches
  • 61-channel flexible tip PROFA2D surface coupled to high radix (64 x 64) silicon photonic MEMS switch.
  • 61-channel I/O is accomplished in single port and one alignment step.
  • I/O occupies a compact space of 330 μm x 280 μm – more than 200 times smaller than a comparable linear fiber array with 127 μm standard pitch.
  T. J. Seok, V. I. Kopp, D. Neugroschl, J. Henriksson, J. Luo, and M. C. Wu, “High Density Optical Packaging of High Radix Silicon Photonic Switches,” in Optical Fiber Communication Conference Postdeadline Papers, OSA Technical Digest (online) (Optical Society of America, 2017), paper Th5D.7.
Silicon Photonics Arrayed I/O 37-channel, single port coupling to 10 μm MFD vertical grating couplers developed for IMEC:
  • Single-port, 37-channel, 40 µm channel pitch, SM surface coupling using
  • < 3 dB coupling loss (1 dB on top of VGC coupling loss)


V. I. Kopp, et. al., “Two-dimensional, 37-channel, High-bandwidth Ultra-dense Silicon Photonics Optical Interface,” in Optical Fiber Communication Conference: Postdeadline Papers, (Optical Society of America, 2014), paper Th5C.4
Silicon Photonics Arrayed I/O 10-channel coupler, developed for IBM:
  • Single-port, 10-channel, 20 µm channel pitch, linear array, PM edge coupling to 2 μm MFD waveguides
  • Channel crosstalk below -35 dB
  • 8-Tb/s/mm bandwidth densities using only four wavelengths

F. E. Doany, et. al., “Multichannel High-Bandwidth Coupling of Ultradense Silicon Photonic Waveguide Array to Standard-Pitch Fiber Array,” Lightwave Technology, Journal of , vol.29, no.4, pp.475, Feb.15, 2011.
B. G. Lee et al., “20-μm-pitch eight-channel monolithic fiber array coupling 160 Gb/s/channel to silicon nanophotonic chip,” 2010 Conference on Optical Fiber Communication (OFC/NFOEC), collocated National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference, San Diego, CA, 2010, pp. 1-3.</font size>
InP Coherent Receiver Arrayed I/O Two-channel coupler, developed for Bell Laboratories, Alcatel-Lucent:
  • Single-port, 2-channel, 19 µm channel pitch, PM coupling to 2 μm MFD waveguides
  • < 2 dB coupling loss (fiber-to-chip)

C. R. Doerr, L. Zhang, and P. J. Winzer, “Monolithic InP Multi-Wavelength Coherent Receiver,” in Optical Fiber Communication Conference, OSA Technical Digest (CD) (Optical Society of America, 2010), paper PDPB1
Silicon Photonics Hermetic Butterfly Package
  • Single-port, single-channel, PM edge coupling to 2 μm MFD waveguide
  • FTNIR spectrometer for oil and gas sensing application
Development Package: Open design, optically-coupled package enabling electronic probing, developed for OpSIS:
Dual port, single channel optical edge coupling using PROFA1D
  • 1550 nm PANDA fiber coupled to 220 x 200 nm Si waveguide
  • < 2 dB coupling loss (fiber-to-chip)
  • < -20 dB polarization crosstalk
  • Designed for thermal stability and cryogenic testing

POLARIZER

Helica™ In – Fiber Linear Polarizer

The Helica™ In-Fiber Polarizer (IFP) is an all-glass, flexible polarizer for users requiring the best polarization extinction ratio (PER) available over a broad spectral range within a fiber. The polarized light is scattered over the length of the chiral grating rather than absorbed.

Polarizers have been delivered to address specific spectral needs ranging from 800-2000 nm. Specifications and typical spectra for polarizers with central wavelengths at 1550 and 1310 are shown below. Custom pigtails, jacketing, cabling and connectorization can be accommodated. Please speak to us about your specific needs.

  • Polarization measurement and control
  • Coherent transmission
  • Optical sensors
  • Test and measurement instrumentation
  • Navigation instrumentation
  • R & D
  • Fiber lasers
PROPERTIES
Central Wavelength11310 nm, 1550 nm
Bandwidth>50 nm
Extinction Ratio2>25 dB
Typical Insertion Loss<2 dB
Optical Return Loss-22 to -24 dB
PackageSee schematic below
PigtailsPM or SM, 1 m
Operating Temperature-50 to +50C
Storage Temperature-70 to +85C
  1. Other wavelengths available upon request
  2. This extinction ratio is guaranteed at the polarizer output but pigtail choice and handling may affect resultant output. Circular polarization can be either right- or left-handed. Typically the slow axis is converted to right-handed, circularly polarized light.
  3. Connectorization available upon request. 

Helica™ In – Fiber Linear Polarizer

Polarizer Schematics

Helica™ In – Fiber Circular Polarizer

Chiral Photonics, Inc. (CPI), introduces an all-glass, in-fiber polarizer based on its proprietary chiral technology that provides a circularly polarized output in a fiber format.

The polarizer can be manufactured to meet your spectral and performance specifications, including central wavelength, bandwidth and extinction ratio requirements. Specifications are shown below.

The circular polarizer acts as a quarter waveplate and the quality of the output circularly polarized light is dependent on the quality of the linearly polarized light that is input into the device.

Pigtailing and connectorization of the device can be customized, as needed. However, an output connector is not recommended. The output SM fiber should be kept as short and unperturbed, mechanically and thermally, as possible. Chiral Photonics has not tested an output fiber that has demonstrated maintenance of good circular polarization extinction ratio (cPER), similar to what exists for linearly polarized light.

Please call us to discuss your specific requirements and receive a prompt quotation.

  • Polarization measurement and control
  • Optical sensors
  • Test and measurement instrumentation
  • R & D
PROPERTIES
Central Wavelength1980 nm, 1064 nm, 1310 nm, 1550 nm
Bandwidth>50 nm
Extinction Ratio2>25 dB
Typical Insertion Loss<2 dB
Package StyleRigid or Flexible, see schematics below
Pigtails3PM input, SM output, 1 m
Operating Temperature-50 to +50 C
Storage Temperature-70 to +85C
  1. Other wavelengths available upon request
  2. This extinction ratio is guaranteed at the polarizer output but pigtail choice and handling may affect resultant output. Circular polarization can be either right- or left-handed. Typically the slow axis is converted to right-handed, circularly polarized light.
  3. Connectorization available upon request. 

Helica™ In – Fiber Circular Polarizer

Polarizer Schematics

SENSOR

The HTS-1000 sensor enables fiber optic temperature measurements up to 900 °C with excursions to 1000 °C. In addition to the traditional benefits of fiber optic sensors, including immunity to electromagnetic interference, better environmental stability and enhanced remote sensing as compared to traditional electronic sensors, the HTS-1000 extends these benefits to ultra-high temperature applications, ranging from turbine engine test and development to refinery process monitoring and control. Microwave environments can be accommodated with an all-glass sensor housing.

The HTS-1000 sensor is used in conjunction with fiber optic interrogators and is fully integrated with Micron Optics interrogators si155, and si255.

The HTS-1000 is based on Chiral Photonics’ chiral diffraction grating, fabricated by twisting a fiber as it is passed through a miniature heat zone to produce a distinct dip in the transmission spectrum. The spectral position of the dip in this chiral fiber changes with temperature allowing it to be used as a temperature sensor.

HTS-1000 Specifications
Temperature RangeUp to at least 1000 °C
Accuracy1%
Sensitivity0.01 nm/°C (nominal)
Drift (measured over more than 1400 hours at 900 °C)0.0005 °C/hr, (nominal)
Probe (metal sheathing) Length300 mm standard – Other lengths and materials available upon request
Sensor/Grating Length15 mm – Other lengths available upon request
Sensor Placement25 mm from probe tip – Other configurations available upon request
Connector TypeFC/APC – Other connectors available upon request
PackagingSee Drawing – Other configurations available upon request

HTS-1000 Schematics

Temperature testing was carried out in a computer-controlled high-temperature oven in which the temperature was also monitored by a thermocouple. Both long-term temperature stability and temperature sensitivity were tested using a fiber optic interrogator to monitor sensors as they were cycled from room temperature to 1000 °C. The characteristic spectral dip wavelength shifts to the red by approximately 1.3 nm as the temperature is raised by 100 °C. The figure below shows the wavelength of the transmission dip of a chiral fiber versus temperature. The temperature was cycled five times from 700 °C to 1000 °C in the course of 24 hours, dwelling for 3 hours at these temperatures. The inset shows the temperature variations. As seen in the figure below, the HTS-1000 is capable of reliably measuring temperature up to 1000 °C with better than 1% accuracy. Drift measured over more than 1400 hours at 900 °C was 0.0005 °C/hr. The sensor is recommended for continuous monitoring to 900 °C with excursion to 1000 °C.

Microforming

Chiral Photonics has established and refined precision glass forming and fabrication capabilities. Based on the application needs and designs, we create twisted and tapered chiral structures out of glass fibers and tubing with sub-micron accuracy to address photonic and mechanical applications ranging from lasers, filters and sensors to microscopic heat exchangers, micro-capillary array mixers and microfluidics

EXEMPLARY WORK

Square capillary tubing with outer dimensions of 120 x 120 µm twisted axially. The inset shows an image of the same tube taken with index matching fluid to reveal the 40 x 40 µm twisted capillary.
A 115 µm outer diameter fiber tapered to 38 µm while twisting with variable pitch. Image was taken with index matching fluid to reveal the core.
Two 28 µm outer diameter fibers braided with a 50 µm pitch.