.

,,,

.,

339

IEEE PHOTONICS TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, VOL. 3, NO. 4, APRIL 1991

A Mode-Evolution-Type Integrated-Optical
Beam Combiner for Coherent Receivers
D. A. Smith, J. E. Baran, J. L. Jackel, R. E. Wagner, and R. Welter
Abstract-We demonstrate a new integrated-optic sum-anddifference optical beam combiner for coherent receivers, based
on adiabatic mode evolution in an asymmetric waveguide junction. The device was packaged as a 2 x 2 fiber-compatible
LiNbO, "chip," and operated as a 180" optical hybrid for
combining arbitrary input polarization, exhibiting excellent balance and moderate loss. The advantage of this component over
previously studied directional coupler beam combiners is the
absence of a strict interaction length requirement for obtaining
balanced separation. Integration of this component with a passive mode-evolution-type polarization splitter will result in polarization-diversity receivers with broad constraints on processing, design, and wavelength of operation.

INTRODUCTION

OHERENT optical signal detection demands some means

of guaranteeing polarization alignment of the signal and
local oscillator. The most general approach is to use polarization diversity in the optical front end of a coherent receiver
[l], [ 2 ] . A passive beam combiner can be integrated with
adiabatic polarization splitters to build a fully passive integrated-optic front end for a polarization diversity coherent
optical receiver [3]. In the work reported here, we have
demonstrated the performance of the asymmetric X-junction
(ASX) as a polarization-independent guided-wave sum and
difference beam combiner. The advantage of the adiabatic
junction device [4] over previously used directional coupler
(dc) beam combiners is the absence of a strict interaction
length required for balanced splitting since the device symmetry and adiabaticity of mode evolution are sufficient to
insure proper device operation. Other researchers have treated
the ASX as a single-polarization optical hybrid [5] or as a
broad-band polarization-insensitive 3 dB coupler [ 6 ] .Neither
author pointed out the application of the ASX as a polarization-independent optical hybrid, which is important for polarization diversity.
Ideally, the dc and ASX are everywhere double-moded
linear devices, and hence all mode conversion is strictly
between supermodes of the waveguide system. This guarantees that the sum of the two arm intensities is constant, and
hence that the modulation due to interference of the signal
and LO is inherently 180" out of phase, and the constant-intensity components are equal, as required for common-mode
rejection of noninformation-carrying signals. The removal of
dc photodetector current eliminates the large local oscillator
intensity noise.
Manuscript received December 17, 1990; revised January 30, 1991.
The authors are with Bellcore, Red Bank, NJ 07701.
IEEE Log Number 9144509.

strong
interaction
modes

narrow
wide gu&
y'guide
:3#e$
d
:es

En
asymptotic modes

Fig. 1. Adiabatic evolution of the single input mode field amplitudes for
wide and narrow guides in an asymmetric x-junction.

The ASX beam combiner shown in Fig. 1 contains wide

and narrow-width input singlemode arms and identical-width
output arms. A s long as the mode evolution is adiabatic, the
wide-guide mode evolves into the lowest order (symmetric)
supennode of the interaction region, while the narrow-guide
lowest-order mode evolves into the second-order (antisymmetric) supermode of the interaction region. Each of these
supermodes adiabatically evolve into equal-intensity, uncoupled output beams on the matched output side; however, the
asymptotic independent mode amplitudes generated by the
second-order supermode are 180" out of phase. The device
operates in the same way forwards or backwards. For either
input eigen-polarization, the intensities of the two output
branches I * are

I,= E : / 2 + E : / 2 f E,,E,cos (CO,,,- p' , + 'p) (1)

in which n and w refer to the narrow and wide input guides,
respectively. The 'pn and 'pw terms are input phases while (a
is the relative phase accumulated by the symmetric and
antisymmetric supermodes. The TE and TM intensities have
an arbitrary phase relationship depending on the values of the
various p terms.
DEVICEFABRICATION
AND CHARACTERIZATION
Waveguides were formed by diffusing 700 8, of titanium
into an x-cut, y-propagating substrate at a temperature of
1050C for 8.5 h in a closed platinum crucible. Fig. 2 shows
the geometry of the beam combiner. Input and output guides
were separated by 250 pm for matching to fibers held in
silicon V-groove carriers. The arms were brought into proximity by circular arcs generated as line segments of 4 mrad
successive angular increments. The 50-mm bend radius chosen for this experiment was adequate to prevent TE-mode
loss, but there was about 2.7 dB excess TM-mode bend loss
(this excess loss disappears using a 75 mm radius for h =
1530 nm).

340

IEEE PHOTONICS TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, VOL. 3, NO. 4, APRIL 1991

TABLE I
COMPARISON
OF LOSSES,
SPLITTING,
AND PERFORMANCE AS 180"HYBRIDS
FOR BOTH TE AND

a s p

angle

(b)

TM POLARIZATIONS

Parameter

TE

TM

Fiber-to-fiberloss
Bend loss
Junction loss
Coalignment Penalty

3.2
0.2
0.6
0.1
4.1

2.1
2.7
0.5

Total loss

Power Splitting Ratio

FM Phase Difference

49/51
180" f 5"

0.2
6.1
40160
180" f 5"

9.5 p
PC3
.~

PCI
.
-.

10%
f

shifter
Pc2

ChiD

7.5 p

Fig. 2. (a) Details of the device geometry. (b) Close-up of the interaction
region.

All waveguides were 8.5 pm wide, except approaching the

X-junction, in which the widths were tapered to the desired
degree of mismatch. The interaction region was a crossing of Fig. 3. Experimental setup for showing balanced beam combination. Scope
2 mrad full angle and 20 mm in length. The length of the trace of both arm intensities (TEpolarization only) for the case of unaligned
device, excluding the straight waveguide extensions, was 32 elliptical input polarizations.
mm. A crucial parameter was the maximum width W, of
the interaction region. It is necessary for the interaction
region to be double-moded, but not triple-moded. If more matched by varying the frequency shifter insertion loss. The
than two modes can propagate, then the third-order mode, as two output port's signals were passed through polarizers and
well as the ever-present unguided radiation modes, can de- imaged onto matched photodetectors using a 10 x objective,
plete some of the input power, and possibly degrade the and the amplified intensity signals were displayed on two
device symmetry, especially if the mode evolution is not channels of an oscilloscope, triggered by the frequency shift
gradual enough. The best output power balance (k 0.1 dB for generator, derived from mixing portions of the acoustooptic
filter drive signals.
TE and + O S dB for TM) was with a W, of 13 pm.
When the two input intensities were matched, the output
Loss contributions for both TE and TM are distributed as
shown in Table I. Fiber-to-fiber loss includes fiber coupling intensities were identical in magnitude, opposite in phase,
and propagation loss. Junction losses were found by subtract- and modulated at almost 100%, as shown in the inset of Fig.
ing out coupling, bend, and propagation loss from overall 3. These traces show the two output leg intensities (TE
device insertion loss data. Separate loss contributions were component) for arbitrary elliptical-polarizationinputs of equal
determined using various calibration waveguides. Coalign- intensity. When the analyzer preceding the detector was
ment penalty refers to the excess loss incurred while simulta- aligned to pass TM light, a similar pair of traces was
neously coupling to a pair of fibers. The device loss can be observed, with different amplitude and different absolute
reduced, probably to about 1 dB for both polarizations, by phase relationship to the trigger, as would be expected from
proper selection and design of bends [7],[8], by burying the (l), in which the p's are different for different polarizations.
waveguides as they approach the fiber junctions [9], and by Direct confirmation of the operation of the ASX as a 180"
further reduction in W, in the junction interaction region optical hybrid [2]was confirmed for various combinations of
linear and elliptical input polarizations, aligned and un161.
aligned. When the input polarizations were orthogonal, no
BEAMCOMBINING
EXPERIMENT
beat was observed, as expected.
Fig. 3 is a schematic of an experiment which examined
CONCLUSIONS
balanced beam combination. A narrow linewidth He-Ne
laser beam (1523 nm) was split using a 1O:l directional
The advantage of the asymmetric, adiabatic X-junction
coupler into two fiber paths. One fiber was coupled directly over directional coupler beam combiners is the absence of a
into one input port of the ASX, while the other fiber was strict interaction length required for balanced separation since
connected to a two-stage acoustooptic filter operated as a the device asymmetry and adiabaticity of mode evolution are
frequency shifter by exciting the two stages at slightly dif- sufficient to ensure the proper device operation. Integration
ferent RF frequencies within the 200-MIZ passband of the of this component with a passive mode-evolution-type polarmatched filter stages [lo]. Fiber polarization controllers PC2 ization splitter [1 11 will result in polarization-diversity reand PC3 were used to separately adjust input polarizations to ceivers with rather broad constraints on processing, design,
the ASX. PCl allowed the intensity of the two inputs to be and wavelength of operation.

SMITH et al. : OPTICAL BEAM COMBINER FOR RECEIVERS

34 1

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors are grateful to Y. Silberberg for comments

and suggestions.
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