This paper describes in details the fabrication and tests of a micromechanical connector, which is used for the precise optical self-alignment of multi-waveguide optical integrated circuits (OIC) to ribbon optical fibers, without injecting light in the fiber. Nickel alignment pins are electrodeposited on the OIC using a photolithographic process, and these pins are inserted into suitable openings made on a silicon micromachined platform, on which optical fibers are accurately positioned using V-grooves. A simultaneous fabrication of several microstructures which are used as an assistance for the assembly of the fibers and the waveguides is presented for the first time. Design and fabrication issues are reported, as well as preliminary experimental results which show that excess optical losses on the order of 3dB per coupling facet can be obtained.

Dynamic optical coupling is performed to caracterize a 4 single-mode fibres ribbon inserted and bonded into dry etched U-grooves. A comparison is made with mechanical and chemical V-grooves.

We report some features of a new waveguide structure in integrated optic providing new potentialities. We propose to use specific polymers as overlayer of ridge silica waveguides. This method can be used to finely tune the superstrate refractive index in order to adjust performances of components. In this paper, we give as examples, the auto-stabilization of integrated Bragg gratings and also, first experiments to realize thermo-optic directional couplers which can be achieved by combining these two materials in the waveguide structure.

Photoinscription of Bragg gratings within optical waveguides has been shown as a promising technology in the optical telecommunications field. Many applications have already been demonstrated in transport, local or access networks. The robustness, stability and flexibility that photoimprinted components offer insure a fast widespread of their use in near close future telecommunications networks.

New methods for modal characterization of silica waveguides using UV-induced Bragg gratings are proposed. These methods rely either on the filtering of the fundamental optical mode with a Bragg filter or on the mode coupling by tilting the Bragg grating relative to the optical axis. Both theoretical and experimental results are reported.

A new technique based on the use of polymer to drastically decrease the temperature sensitivity of Bragg gratings realised on planar silica waveguides deposited on silicon is proposed. Moreover, this technique suppresses the polarisation dependence of the Bragg filters.