Patent ID: 7031562

Claim:
A photonic input/output device, comprising: (a) a layered structure comprising an unpatterned substrate having at least one layer and at least one additional layer on top of the unpatterned substrate, (b) a coupling region that is within the at least one additional layer and that comprises an arrangement of at least one optical scattering element, and (c) at least one output waveguide, wherein the at least one optical scattering element has an index contrast that is greater than or equal to approximately 1 and wherein the at least one optical scattering element is an element having geometrical shape chosen from the group comprising cylinders, ellipsoids, hemispheres, rectilinear trenches or solids, cones, angled cylinders, angled hemispheres, angled ellipsoids, angled rectilinear trenches or solids and angled cones and wherein the spacing element to element may be uniform.