US 2022/0187074 A1 · PHOTONIC INTEGRATED CHIP

Abstract

A photonic integrated chip is configured as a transmitter-receiver chip. The photonic integrated chip includes a light emitter, a light detector, a multi-mode interference coupler, and a mode-filed adapter. The light emitted by the light emitter is guided to a core layer formed below the multi-mode interference coupler, and further to the mode-filed adapter for transmission of light to an optical fiber coupled with the photonic integrated chip. Similarly, light received by the mode-filed adapter from the optical fiber propagates to the core layer, and is guided by the multi-mode interference coupler into the light detector. The photonic integrated chip is utilized to realize a single-unit transmitter-receiver module for a fiber optic gyroscope circuit based on monolithic integration of photonics components via wafer fabrication on a substrate. The photonic integrated chip has a low fabrication cost, low size, and is robust.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A photonic integrated chip, comprising:

a light emitter configured to emit light;
a mode-field adapter configured to at least one of (i) transmit light based on the emitted light by the light emitter and (ii) receive light;
a light detector, wherein based on a reception of the received light by the mode-field adapter, the light detector is configured to detect the received light;
and
a multimode interference coupler, wherein the light emitter and the light detector are formed above the multimode interference coupler, and the mode-field adapter is formed adjacent to the multimode interference coupler, wherein the multimode interference coupler couples the light emitter and the light detector to the mode-field adapter such that the emitted light is propagated from the light emitter to the mode-field adapter, and the multimode interference coupler couples the light detector to the mode-field adapter such that the received light is propagated from the mode-field adapter to the light detector.

2 more elements

A method comprising:

growing a passive waveguide core layer above a substrate;
growing a passive waveguide cladding layer on the passive waveguide core layer;
forming a first plurality of layers on the passive waveguide cladding layer;
growing a second plurality of layers on the first plurality of layers;
patterning the second plurality of layers to form a light emitter and a light detector;
patterning the passive waveguide cladding layer, wherein a first waveguide path, a second waveguide path, and a third waveguide path of the patterned passive waveguide cladding layer form a multimode interference coupler, wherein the light emitter is formed above the first waveguide path, and the light detector is formed above the second waveguide path;
and
patterning an end of the third waveguide path of the passive waveguide cladding layer to form a mode-field adapter, wherein the multimode interference coupler, the light emitter, the mode-field adapter, and the light detector form a photonic integrated chip.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Photonic integrated chip

Life of this patent

Photonic integrated chip

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20