A stress-free packaging solution for planar waveguide-based photonic components

It is a challenge to simultaneously prevent the fiber ribbons from internal stress in the planar waveguide-based components and protect the ribbons from external stress. We have achieved this by simply incorporating two soft elastomer gaskets into each conventional packaging to compensate the mismatched thermal expansion between the fiber ribbon and packaging case, and fastening the fiber ribbon to the case to transfer their external load away. The involved process was easily implemented at a minimum cost, and the packaged variable optical attenuators and arrayed waveguide gratings were free of internal ribbon stress and able to meet the fiber-handling requirement as specified by Telcordia GR 1209 test.