Self-Aligned Optofiber/Waveguide Connector with Integrated V-grooves and Diffractive Optical Elements

We demonstrate a novel type of self-aligned optofiber/waveguide connector with integrated V-grooves and diffractive optical elements. The self-alignment is achieved by connecting micro-structures which have originally been formed in silicon and later replicated in concave and convex forms. V-grooves hold the optical fibers and the light is coupled out through diffractive optical elements (DOEs). A manufacturing process has been developed which allows both deep micro-structures (V-grooves and alignment structures) and shallow surface reliefs (diffractive elements) to be realized on the same substrate. The self-alignment using microstructures allows a positioning accuracy of about ± 5μm. Two different fan-out DOEs have been optically characterized.