Broadband Fibers Optic Components for DoD Applications

Advanced R&D breakthroughs in integrated photonics, in parallel with the advent of the Advanced Institute for Manufacturing: Photonics (AIM Photonics), have now made photonic integrated circuits (PIC) manufacturable. Presently, however, PICs are limited primarily to a small wavelength region (near 1550nm) dictated by telecom needs, or rely on glass waveguide technology that does not permit compact form factors. NorCon Technologies proposes to advance state-of-the-art PIC sensor technology by developing several innovative connectors for mating enhanced-wavelength (UV through LWIR) specialty fibers to high-volume manufactured, integrated silicon or silicon nitride sensor PICs. In Phase I, unique, lithographically defined fiber positioning connectors have been designed, fabricated and shown to be able to accurately position specialty fibers such as tellurite fiber, often a difficult task as such fibers generally have mechanical properties inferior to those of silica. Maskless lithography was used to fabricate these positioning elements. Another major accomplishment in Phase I was the development of several different techniques, including photodefinition, for fabricating low-loss (~ 1dB/cm) single-mode waveguides in polymers with high mid-wave infrared transparency. In Phase II, these two capabilities will be combined to provide efficient coupling from specialty fibers to demonstration PICs that will be fabricated in the AIM foundry.