Tunable echelle grating
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsYongming Tu, Alfredo Bismuto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Configurations for a tunable Echelle grating are disclosed. The tunable Echelle grating may include an output waveguide centered in a waveguide array, with input waveguides on both sides of the output waveguide. A metal tuning pad may be located over the slab waveguide and may be heated to induce a temperature change in the slab waveguide. By increasing the temperature of the propagation region of the slab waveguide, the index of refraction may shift, thus causing the peak wavelength of the channel to shift. This may result in an optical component capable of multiplexing multiple light sources in an energy efficient manner while maintaining a small form factor.
Claims16
An optical component, comprising:
- a slab waveguide;
- a first input waveguide configured to emit a first light into the slab waveguide;
- a second input waveguide configured to emit a second light into the slab waveguide;
- a set of grating facets configured to:
- receive the first light from the first input waveguide and the second light from the second input waveguide;
- and
- reflect the emitted first light as a first reflected light and emitted second light as a second reflected light;
- an output waveguide configured to receive the first reflected light along the first reflected light path and from the slab waveguide;
- and
- a tuning pad disposed on the slab waveguide and operable to adjust a temperature of the slab waveguide;
- the output waveguide is located between the first input waveguide and the second input waveguide;
- the slab waveguide comprises:
- a first cladding layer disposed on a substrate;
- a propagation region disposed on the first cladding layer;
- and
- a second cladding layer disposed on the propagation region;
- and
- the tuning pad is configured to:
- heat the propagation region of the slab waveguide, thereby shifting an index of refraction of the propagation region to change a peak wavelength of a corresponding channel.
An optical component, comprising:
- an input waveguide configured to provide input light along an input light path and positioned at a first location on a Rowland circle;
- an output waveguide configured to receive reflected light along a reflected light path and positioned at a second location on the Rowland circle;
- and
- a diffraction grating configured to:
- receive light along the input light path of the input waveguide;
- and
- reflect light along the reflected light path to the output waveguide;
- and
- a tuning pad configured to shift a peak wavelength of a channel;
- the input light is a first input light;
- the input light path is the first input light path;
- the input waveguide is a first input waveguide;
- the optical component further comprises;
- a second input waveguide configured to provide a second input light along a second input light path and positioned at a third location on the Rowland circle, the second location on the Rowland circle between the first location and the third location on the Rowland circle;
- and
- a slab waveguide through which the first input light path, the second input light path, and the reflected light path propagate;
- the reflected light path is located between the first input light path and the second input light path in the slab waveguide;
- and
- the tuning pad is a metal pad configured to heat a portion of the slab waveguide to shift the peak wavelength of the channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.