• Continued exponential growth in data traffic in the internet will eventually make it necessary to use wavelength division multiplexing in data center interconnects
• Conventional diffractive optical waveguide grating couplers have 1dB bandwidths less than 30nm and cannot support coarse wavelength division multiplexing
• Grating couplers have less stringent alignment tolerance requirements than edge couplers and are therefore easier (less expensive) to package with optical fibers
• Innovations are needed to increase the optical bandwidth of waveguide grating couplers to support wider optical bandwidth and enable use with coarse wavelength division multiplexing
• Current Market Size of optical transceivers is about USD 6 Billion and is growing at annual rate of 10% per year

• Proposed design can be fabricated in commercial foundries with high yield
• Innovative design can increase the 1dB bandwidth of single mode waveguide grating couplers to 130nm and enable cost effective integrated CWDM optical transceivers

• Optical transceivers for data center interconnects
• Integrated optical spectrometers requiring wide optical bandwidth

Simulations show that a grating coupler designed using the unique approach described in the provisional patent application has over 130nm (1dB) optical bandwidth which is more than 4 times wider than conventional designs

Information and Communications Technology

P-2020-0988

US63/108224

orkts.liaison@cuhk.edu.hk