Integrated optical arrangement for demultiplexing a plurality of different wavelength channels and the method of manufacture

In an integrated optical arrangement for demultiplexing a plurality of different optical wavelength channels, said arrangement including an optical layer waveguide being integrated on a substrate as a film waveguide and being limited by an edge with a portion of said edge having an optical diffraction grating formed thereon, said arrangement including first means for coupling a plurality of different wavelength channels into the film waveguide at an infeed point, said plurality of different wavelength channels being conducted to the diffraction grating by the film waveguide, said diffraction grating spatially separating the plurality of different wavelength channels from one another by diffraction into different directions, said film waveguide guiding said plurality of different diffracted wavelength channels in different directions spatially separated from one another to another portion of the edge of the film waveguide and second means for coupling out a plurality of the waveguide channels at each of the output points, the improvements comprising the second means for coupling being strip-like optical outfeed waveguides integrated on the substrate and being coupled to each of the outfeed points, said outfeed waveguide guiding the wavelength of the channels coupled out from the film waveguide at said output points to an optical detector which is integrated on the substrate for each outfeed waveguide, and amplifier means for optically amplifying a wavelength channel prior to being supplied to an optical detector integrated on said substrate.

A method for manufacturing an integrated optical arrangement for demultiplexing a plurality of different optical wavelength channels, said arrangement including an optical layer waveguide being integrated on a substrate as a film waveguide having an edge with a portion being an optical diffraction grating, first means for coupling a plurality of different wavelength channels at an infeed point into the film waveguide, which conducts the wavelength channels to the diffraction grating which spatially separates the plurality of different wavelength channels into individual diffracted waveguide channels that are directed and conducted to a plurality of output points on another portion of the edge of the film waveguide, second means for coupling out each of the diffracted waveguide channels at each of the output points including outfeed waveguides formed in a strip-like optical waveguide integrated on the substrate, said outfeed waveguides guiding the waveguide channels coupled out from said film waveguide at said outfeed points to an optical detector which is integrated on the substrate as a photodiode for each of the outfeed waveguides, said method comprising the steps of providing a packet of layers on a substrate, said packet including an optical waveguiding layer, a cover layer disposed on the waveguiding layer, an absorption layer disposed on the cover layer, and a contact layer disposed on the absorption layer, said contact layer having at least a local region disposed at each location for each photodiode with a doping opposite in comparison to a doping present immediately under the waveguiding layer, providing contacts for said contact layer at said local region, reducing the packet of layers in a region outside of each of the local regions by removing the contact layer and absorption layer in the outside region, and producing a film waveguide having a diffraction grating and strip-like waveguides extending to each of the mesa-shaped raised regions by a region-by-region removal of said cover layer and waveguiding layer so that the waveguiding layer and the cover layer remain at a location for the film waveguide and strip-like waveguides.

A method for manufacturing an integrated optical arrangement for demultiplexing a plurality of different optical waveguide channels, said arrangement including an optical layer waveguide being integrated on a substrate as a film waveguide having an optical diffraction grating formed on a portion of an edge thereon, first means for coupling a plurality of different wavelength channels at an infeed point into the film waveguide to be conducted to the diffraction grating which separates them into a plurality of individual diffracted wavelength channels extending in different direction toward a plurality of outfeed points along the edge space to receive each of the individual diffracted wavelength channels, second means for coupling out each of the diffracted wavelength channels into strip-like optical waveguides integrated on the substrate, each of said waveguides extending to an individual optical detector means for detecting the channel being carried therein, said method comprising the steps of providing a packet of layers on a substrate, said packet being composed of at least a waveguiding layer and a cover layer resting on said waveguiding layer, removing the cover layer in local regions which will subsequently be photodiode regions of each of the detector means to expose the waveguiding layer with the cover layer remaining in those regions outside of said local regions, providing an absorption layer at each of said local regions on the exposed waveguiding layer, providing a contact layer having a doping opposite in comparison to the doping present immediately under the waveguide layer on the absorption layer, providing contacts in the local region on the doped contact layer, and then forming a film waveguide with the diffraction grating and strip-like waveguides in the region outside of the local region by removing a portion of the cover layer and the waveguiding layer so that the waveguiding layer and the cover layer remain in place in an area formed of said film waveguide and outfeed waveguides.