Optical fiber-to-chip assembly process for ultra-low loss photonic devices based on silicon nitride for space applications

Abstract

[EN] In this work, we demonstrate an efficient fiber array-to-chip assembly process with a high number of input/output ports. The proposed approach is based on using a pre-alignment coupling structure to separately align the input and output ports. The assembling process has been experimentally validated in photonic integrated circuits fabricated with an ultra-low-loss waveguide technology based on silicon nitride, which features propagation losses as low as 9.5 dB/m. The developed technology is expected to extend the use of integrated photonics for space applications