Self-organizing waveguide coupling method "SOLNET" and its application to film optical circuit substrates

We propose a novel self-organizing waveguide formation method "Self-Organizing Lightwave NETwork (SOLNET)". SOLNET utilizes an interaction between light beams in photorefractive materials. The interaction is an attractive force, so that the beams merge together into one optical path. This enables an automatic waveguide construction between optical devices, tolerating the mutual positional misalignment. SOLNET can also construct straight and downtapered waveguides in a free space. Applications of SOLNET are proposed, including self-aligned coupling between two optical devices and 3D optical wiring. Proof-of-concept of SOLNET is demonstrated by computer simulations and experiments. Optoelectronic (OE) interconnect hardware, OE Scalable Substrate (OE-SS) and Film Optical Link Module (FOLM), as well as a device integration process, Self-ORganizing Transfer (SORT), which have been proposed by FCPT, are presented. OE-SS and FOLM have potentiality to reduce cost and required space in OE systems. Expected applications of SOLNET to OE-SS and FOLM are shown.