A polarization-insensitive MMI coupler on an x-cut thin film lithium niobate platform

Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) is a promising integrated photonics platform but currently lacks a polarization-insensitive multimode interference (MMI) coupler, a crucial component for polarization-related optical communication applications such as polarization management, polarization-division multiplexing, and polarization-insensitive modulation systems. This paper presents a novel, to the best of our knowledge, approach by rotating the MMI structure on an anisotropic x-cut TFLN at specific angles to compensate for the difference in the beat length between the two polarizations. A polarization-insensitive 1 × 2 MMI coupler is experimentally achieved with measured transmittances of -2.5 to -4 dB for both output ports and polarization modes in the wavelength range of 1520-1580 nm.