Bandwidth analysis of waveguide grating coupler.

The bandwidth of planar waveguide grating couplers is theoretically investigated based on the rigorous grating theory. We observe that the bandwidth behavior is not only determined by the grating coupler intrinsic properties, but also affected by the fiber parameters such as position, beam waist and Numerical Aperture. The rigorous bandwidth formula is derived. By analyzing the formula, several practical guidelines are proposed for grating coupler design and fiber operation in order to achieve wideband performance.