Photopolymer-based waveguide holograms for optoelectronic interconnect applications

In this paper, we report the implementation of waveguide-based holograms for several on-going applied photonics research at the Microelectronics Research Center of the University of Texas, Austin. These include a wavelength division demultiplexer (WDDM), a nonblocking wavelength-selective crossbar, an IEEE protocol compatible optical backplane bus and true-time-delay lines for wide-band phased array antennae. The exclusive characteristics of waveguide holograms and the maturity of photopolymeric materials make the reported research findings highly attractive for system integration where device performance features and system reliability are pivotal. The surface-normal configuration of both the WDDM and the wavelength-selective crossbar provides not only a much more rugged packaging due to the elimination of edge coupling but also an insertion compatibility with vertical cavity surface emitting laser integration. An eight channel wavelength division demultiplexing device with a center wavelength of 772 nm and a wavelength separation of 4 nm is demonstrated with channel to channel cross talk of less than -20 dB is experimentally confirmed in Section 2. A 3x3 crossbar with Δλ=10nm with a center wavelength of 765 nm is delineated in Section 3. An optical backplane bus containing nine memory/process boards with 72 interconnects is reported in section 4. A waveguide hologram based true-time-delay-line is presented in Section 5.