Patent ID: 11914193
Assignee: CORNING RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 12:
13. A method for fabricating an optical assembly, the method comprising:
defining a group of waveguides in or on a single body having an inner face and an outer face, the group of waveguides being arranged closer to the inner face than the outer face;
dividing the single body to form first and second planar lightwave circuit (PLC) members, wherein (i) the first PLC member has a first body structure bounded by a first inner face and a first outer face, and has a plurality of first waveguides as a first portion of the group of waveguides, the plurality of first waveguides extending from an optical surface of the first body structure that is in a transverse plane orthogonal to the first inner face and the first outer face, and (ii) the second PLC member has a second body structure bounded by a second inner face and a second outer face, and has a plurality of second waveguides as a second portion of the group of waveguides, the plurality of second waveguides extending from an optical surface of the second body structure that is in a transverse plane orthogonal to the second inner face and the second outer face; and
stacking the first PLC member and the second PLC member with the first inner face of the first PLC member facing the second inner face of the second PLC member, and with the optical surface of the first PLC member aligned with the optical surface of the second PLC member;
wherein the plurality of first waveguides is arranged in a first horizontal plane, the plurality of second waveguides is arranged in a second horizontal plane that is offset from the first horizontal plane, with the transverse plane including ends of the plurality of first waveguides and ends of the plurality of second waveguide alternately arranged in a lateral direction.