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US 2019/0171029 A1Published application
Integrated optical circulator enabling polarization diversity
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsRyohei Urata, Lieven Verslegers, Hong Liu, Daoyi Wang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A photonic integrated circulator can be fabricated by including a plurality of polarizing beam splitters and optical polarization rotators such that two copies of the optical signal are output at a receiver in substantially aligned polarization states. The circulator can be used for facilitating bi-directional communications between photonic integrated circuit devices, which are inherently polarization sensitive, while reducing signal loss.
Claims11
An integrated optical circulator enabling polarization diversity, the integrated optical circulator comprising:
- a first port configured to receive a first optical signal;
- a second port configured to transmit the first optical signal received at the first port and also configured to receive a second optical signal;
- a first polarization beam splitter configured to:
- receive the second optical signal;
- split the second optical signal into a first optical signal component and a second optical signal component;
- direct the first optical signal component towards a first reflective surface wherein the first reflective surface is configured to further direct the first optical signal component to pass through a first optical polarization rotator;
- and
- direct the second optical signal component through a second optical polarization rotator;
- a second polarization beam splitter configured to receive the second optical signal component after the second optical signal component passes through the second optical polarization rotator, and direct the second optical signal component towards a second reflective surface, the second reflective surface directing the second optical signal component towards a third optical polarization rotator;
- a third port configured to transmit the first optical signal component of the second optical signal after it passes through the first optical polarization rotator, the third port transmitting the first optical signal component at a first polarization state;
- and
- a fourth port configured to transmit the second optical signal component of the second optical signal after it passes through the third optical polarization rotator, the fourth port transmitting the second optical signal component at a second polarization state substantially aligned with the first polarization state.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.