Coupling tolerances of high-index silicon-oxynitride waveguides with small bending radii

Silicon-oxynitride waveguides gained by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition are very attractive for the fabrication of passive optical components used in optical networks. The low-loss and compact devices with small bending radii are achieved with a new high-index waveguide design. At the same time this feature increases the requirements on the fibre-to-chip coupling compared to common fibre-matched waveguides. In this paper, we discuss the junction of the high-index optical components to fibre systems and their coupling tolerances. The presented solution is based on using high numerical aperture fibres. Furthermore, the option of higher automation and reliability is given by the coupling with tapered fibres because they allow better positioning tolerances.