Tunable wavelength gain chip array for sensing and communication
AssigneeKing Abdullah University of Science and Technology
InventorsBoon S. Ooi, Omar Alkhazragi, Tien Khee Ng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An array of surface-emitting gain chips includes a common substrate, plural gain chips formed on the common substrate, each configured to generate a light beam, plural optical couplers, each located on a top surface of a corresponding gain chip of the plural gain chips, plural optical fibers, each connected with one end to a corresponding optical coupler of the plurality of optical couplers, an array wide optical coupler connected to another end of the plural optical fibers, and a single optical fiber connected to the array wide optical coupler and configured to output the combined light beams.
Claims20
An array of surface-emitting gain chips comprising:
- a common substrate;
- plural gain chips formed on the common substrate, each configured to generate a light beam;
- plural optical couplers, each located on a top surface of a corresponding p-type contact layer of a corresponding gain chip of the plural gain chips, wherein an index of refraction of an optical coupler of the plural optical couplers matches an index of refraction of the corresponding p-type contact layer of the corresponding gain chip;
- plural optical fibers, each connected with one end to a corresponding optical coupler of the plurality of optical couplers;
- an array wide optical coupler connected to another end of the plural optical fibers;
- and
- a single optical fiber connected to the array wide optical coupler and configured to output the combined light beams.
An array of surface-emitting gain chips comprising:
- a common substrate;
- plural gain chips formed on the common substrate, each configured to generate a light beam;
- plural optical couplers, each located on a top surface of a corresponding gain chip of the plural gain chips;
- plural optical fibers, each connected with one end to a corresponding optical coupler of the plurality of optical couplers;
- a feedback control mechanism connected to the plural optical fibers and configured to switch between a first optical path that has a wavelength tunning element and a second optical path that does not have a wavelength tunning element;
- and
- a single optical fiber connected to the feedback control mechanism and configured to output the combined light beams.
A method for making an array of gain chips, the method comprising:
- providing a common substrate;
- forming plural gain chips on the common substrate, each configured to generate a corresponding light beam;
- adding plural optical couplers on corresponding top surfaces of p-type contact layers of the plural gain chips, wherein an index of refraction of an optical coupler of the plural optical couplers matches an index of refraction of the p-type contact layers of the plural gain chip;
- optically connecting plural optical fibers to corresponding one of the plurality of optical couplers;
- optically connecting an array wide optical coupler to the plural optical fibers;
- and
- optically connecting a single optical fiber to the array wide optical coupler to output the combined light beams.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.