Integrated optical devices and methods of making such devices
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorDavid Nir
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated-optical device including a substrate having waveguide and a plurality of electrodes to receive electrical signals for controlling the light transmission through the pathways. The waveguide pathways are in an interaction zone of an electro-optically active waveguide material whose refractive index changes in response to electrical signals applied to the electrodes, and also in an access zone providing optical access to the interaction zone. The active waveguide material in the interaction zone is preferably a different material from the waveguide material in the access zone, enabling improved performance and/or simpler fabrication in a number of described respects.
Claims70
An integrated optical device, comprising:
- a substrate including waveguide pathways each having a higher refractive index than the substrate for guiding the transmission of light therethrough, and a plurality of electrodes to receive electrical signals for controlling the light transmission through said pathways;
- said waveguide pathways being included in an interaction zone and being of an electro-optically active waveguide material whose refractive index changes in response to electrical signals applied to said electrodes;
- said waveguide pathways also being included in an access zone providing optical access to said interaction zone;
- characterized in that said active waveguide material in said interaction zone is a different material from the waveguide material in said access zone.
A method of making a cavity-assisted directional-coupler device having waveguide pathways interacting with an optical cavity, comprising:
- forming said waveguide pathways on a substrate;
- cutting and polishing the substrate along lines perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the optical cavity to define front and perpendicular back facets for the optical cavity;
- and applying the reflector coatings to said perpendicular facets.
An integrated optical device, comprising:
- a substrate including waveguide pathways each having a higher refractive index than the substrate for guiding the transmission of light therethrough, and a plurality of electrodes to receive electrical signals for controlling the light transmission through said pathways;
- said waveguide pathways being included in an interaction zone and being of an electro-optically active waveguide material whose refractive index changes in response to electrical signals applied to said electrodes;
- said waveguide pathways also being included in an access zone providing optical access to said interaction zone;
- said device including a cavity-assisted directional-coupler in which the interaction zone includes an optical cavity having front and back ends defined by reflector facets perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the optical cavity;
- characterized in that said reflector facets for the optical cavity are defined by trenchless formations in the substrate and consist of a semi-reflecting facet at the front end of the optical cavity and a fully-reflecting facet at the back end of the optical cavity.
An integrated optical device, comprising:
- a substrate including waveguide pathways each having a higher refractive index than the substrate for guiding the transmission of light therethrough, and a plurality of electrodes to receive electrical signals for controlling the light transmission through said pathways;
- said waveguide pathways being included in an interaction zone and being of an electro-optically active waveguide material whose refractive index changes in response to electrical signals applied to said electrodes;
- said waveguide pathways also being included in an access zone providing optical access to said interaction zone;
- said device including a cavity-assisted directional-coupler in which the interaction zone includes a single optical cavity having front and back ends defined by reflector facets perpendicular to the longitudinal-axis of the optical cavity;
- said access zone including an input waveguide pathway and an output waveguide pathway;
- characterized in that said input waveguide pathway and said output waveguide pathway are coupled to the optical cavity on the same side of the substrate.
An integrated optical device, comprising:
- a substrate including waveguide pathways on one face each having a higher refractive index than the substrate for guiding the transmission of light therethrough, and a plurality of electrodes to receive electrical signals for controlling the light transmission through said pathways;
- said waveguide pathways being included in an interaction zone and being of an electro-optically active waveguide material whose refractive index changes in response to electrical signals applied to said electrodes;
- said waveguide pathways also being included in an access zone providing optical access to said interaction zone;
- characterized in that a second substrate is bonded to the opposite face of said first substrate and is formed of a material having a higher heat capacity than the material of the first substrate so as to serve as a heat sink for said first substrate.
A method of making an integrated optical device including waveguide pathways defining an optical cavity in an interaction zone, and waveguide pathways in an access zone;
- said method comprising:
- forming said waveguide pathways of one zone in a first substrate;
- bonding said first substrate to a second substrate to embed said waveguide pathways;
- etching one of said substrates to produce perpendicular facets at the front and back ends of the optical cavity in the interaction zone;
- and applying reflector coatings to said perpendicular facets.
A method of making an integrated optical device having waveguide pathways in an interaction zone including an optical cavity confined between front and back reflector facets, and waveguide pathways in an access zone providing access to the interaction zone;
- said method comprising:
- forming a substrate with smooth, flat facets at the front and back ends of the optical cavity and projecting perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the optical cavity;
- applying reflector layers to said front and back facets;
- and then applying waveguide material to the substrate to define the waveguide pathways in the interaction zone and access zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.