Efficient perfectly vertical grating coupler for multi-core fibers fabricated with 193 nm DUV lithography

We propose a novel high-efficiency, low-reflection, and fabrication-tolerant perfectly vertical grating coupler (PVGC) with a minimum feature size >200 nm to allow for fabrication using 193 nm deep-ultraviolet lithography. The structural parameters of PVGC were optimized by a genetic optimization algorithm. Simulations predicted the coupling efficiency to be −2.0 dB (63.0%) and the back reflections to be less than −20 dB in the wavelength range of 1532–1576 nm. The design was fabricated in a multi-project wafer run for silicon photonics, and a coupling efficiency of −2.7 dB (53.7%) with a 1 dB bandwidth of 33 nm is experimentally demonstrated. The measured back reflection is less than −16 dB over the C-band. The PVGC occupies a compact footprint of 30 μm × 24 μm and can be interfaced with the multi-core fibers for future space-division-multiplexing networks.