Characterization Methodologies of Optical Waveguides

Abstract

The characterization of optical waveguides is a very important and essential step in any waveguide design and fabrication process. It is necessary to evaluate and confirm that the fabricated waveguide exhibits characteristics as designed. During materials selection and waveguide design, accurate measurements of key characteristics should be done with suitable methods. The major characteristics may include refractive index, layer thickness, optical coupling, optical loss, and nonlinear properties. Experimental evaluation and validation are necessary since these characteristics are rather difficult to determine theoretically. Such measurements provide important fundamental data to evaluate whether the waveguide is appropriate for integrated optical interconnection system, and use to specify the reason for the characteristics degradation. Therefore, the evaluation of the waveguide characteristics serves as a feedback to the design and the fabrication process, which is crucial for the modification and optimization of the waveguide performance. In this chapter, a series of optical waveguide characterization techniques will be elaborated. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.