Optical coupling designs are disclosed to provide a photonic device, for example, that includes a substrate; an optical waveguide formed on the substrate and configured as a multimode waveguide to support light in different optical waveguide modes; and an optical fiber structured as a multimode fiber to support light in different optical fiber modes, the optical fiber located above the optical waveguide and optically coupled to the optical waveguide via evanescent coupling to allow light to be coupled between the optical fiber and the optical waveguide.