Inverse Design and Demonstration of Broadband Grating Couplers

We present a gradient-based optimization strategy to design broadband grating couplers.Using this method, we are able to reach, and often surpass,a user-specified target bandwidth during optimization. The designs produced for 220 nm siliconon-insulator are capable of achieving 3 dB bandwidths exceeding 100 nm while maintaining central coupling efficiencies ranging from -3.0 to -5.4 dB, depending on partial-etch fraction. We fabricate a subset of these structures and experimentally demonstrate gratings with 3 dB bandwidths exceeding 120 nm. This inverse design approach provides a flexible design paradigm, allowing for the creation of broadband grating couplers without requiring constraints on grating geometry.