Patent ID: 6928204

Claim:
An optical waveguide structure having a branching section and a crossing section, the optical waveguide structure comprising: a substrate having a first trough, a second trough and a third trough defined therein; in the area of the crossing section, a first fiber partially inserted into the first trough and a second fiber partially inserted into the second trough, wherein the first trough has a width substantially equivalent to a width of a core of the first fiber, the second trough has a width substantially equivalent to a width of a core of the second fiber, and the first trough and the second trough are configured such that the first fiber crosses over the second fiber, and in the area of the branching section, a first planar waveguide formed within the first trough and a second planar waveguide formed within the second trough, wherein a coupling between the first planar waveguide and the first fiber resides within the first trough, a coupling between the second planar waveguide and the second fiber resides within the second trough, and the first planar waveguide and the second planar waveguide are configured to converge to form a third planar waveguide in the third trough.