Ultra-Broadband, Fabrication Tolerant Optical Coupler for Arbitrary Splitting Ratio Using Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

This work presents a design approach of multi-segment directional couplers with ultra-broadband flat spectra and benign fabrication tolerance on the silicon nitride platform. Using particle swarm optimization, we optimize design parameters of multiple coupling regions and asymmetric decoupling regions in the multi-segment couplers, and synthesize optimized structures for the intended power splitting ratio over optical telecommunication O, S, E, and C bands. To efficiently model the device with many structural parameters, each part of the fundamental structure is separately modelled by the most efficient method, including effective index method, coupled mode theory, and transfer matrix method to construct the high-dimensional design space. By choosing a proper evaluation function, the optimized couplers achieve flat spectra with less than ±2% fluctuation over ∼300 nm spectrum for 50%/50%,30%/70% and 10%/90% splitting ratios, which is well verified by 3D FDTD. We also discuss performance degradation caused by fabrication variations and offer a general strategy to enhance fabrication tolerance for the broadband optical couplers with asymmetric decoupling regions.