Impact of passive photonic devices

Photonic influences many aspect of our life and is one of the most important technologies
for the 21st century. There are currently a lot of passive photonic devices used in industry.
Examples of these passive photonic devices are Y-junction, directional coupler, waveguide, ring
resonator, etc.
Y-junction is a simple three-port device which can operate as either a splitter or a
combiner. A Y-branch waveguide is a fundamental element for optical waveguide devices. Since
a Y-branch provide advantages such as low excess loss, low wavelength dependent loss and low
polarization dependent loss, 1N splitters consisting of Y-branches [1]-[3] are now widely used
for optical signal distribution in passive optical networks. Directional coupler is the element
which has two input ports and two output ports, and is composed of two closely spaced
waveguides. The working principle of the coupler is based on the periodical optical power
exchange that occurs between two adjacent waveguides through the overlapping of the
evanescent waves of the propagating modes. A passive directional coupler measures forward and
reflected power and facilitates determination of voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) and return
loss. For that reason, it often is the key component in power meters, antenna monitors, and
analyzers.
With appropriate design, it is possible to develop a platform that enables precise relative
placement of components such that they are automatically aligned. This approach is commonly
referred to as passive alignment since components do not have to be powered nor their position
manipulated to achieve alignment. Passive alignment is the process of aligning two or more
optical components without actively monitoring the resulting output power. Contrasted with
active alignment, in which the power of the optical signal is maximized before the alignment is
finalized. In silicon, precise mechanical structures can be lithographically defined, which guide
components into place. Passive alignment could eventually be used to attach an optical pump
directly to a silicon laser. In essence, passive alignment utilizes a platform and components, each
fabricate with complementary features that enable precise placement of the components in
designated positions on the platform. These features may include solder bumps, mechanical
features or optical fiducials.

Passive alignment is expected to lead to significant cost reduction for those applications
that are cost-sensitive. Although passive alignment technology is expected to be important for
individually packaged devices (such as pigtailed lasers), the impact will be even more profound
as optoelectronic modules incorporate more complicity or more functionality. For example,
packaging monolithic arrays of lasers or detectors requires the alignment of multiple fibers in
addition to electrical I/O placement. There is also a compelling need for passive alignment in
complex subsystem that incorporate a variety of optical elements, each requiring alignment, on a
common platform. Passive alignment enables the development of such subsystems using
production assembly techniques already developed in the electronics industry. Leveraging such
techniques reduces cost and encourages the use of optic in systems that otherwise might have
been limited to purely electronic solutions.

References:
1. http://books.google.com.my/books?
id=EatWlwUuwX4C&pg=PA399&dq=impact+of+passive+photonic+device&hl=en&ei=
HvNmTfquA4aecMGT2Y0M&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD
0Q6AEwBDg8#v=onepage&q&f=false
2. http://www.evaluationengineering.com/index.php/solutions/instrumentation/directionalpower-measurements-and-the-effects-of-directivity.html
3. http://techresearch.intel.com/newsdetail.aspx?Id=19
4. http://www.google.com.my/url?
sa=t&source=web&cd=12&ved=0CB8QFjABOAo&url=http%3A%2F
%2Fmedia.wiley.com%2Fproduct_data%2Fexcerpt

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%20photonic%20device
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