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US 6,549,688 B2Granted
Monolithically-integrated optical device and method of forming same
AssigneeRedfern Integrated Optics Pty LTD
InventorMichael Bazylenko
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AssigneeRedfern Integrated Optics Pty LTD
InventorMichael Bazylenko
Estimating the term…
The present invention provides an integrated optical device comprising a metaloxide-based optical planar waveguide amplifier monolithically integrated on a common substrate with at least one additional planar waveguide selected from a group comprising: a planar waveguide signal-processing circuit arranged to process an optical communications signal; and a planar waveguide pump-signal coupling circuit arranged to couple or decouple a pump wavelength to or from the amplifier; wherein the amplifier has a metal-oxide-based core comprising an optically-transmissive metal oxide material doped with a gain medium and is arranged to amplify an optical communication signal when optically pumped with a source of pump radiation. The amplifier can have a core composed of aluminium oxide doped with erbium and/or ytterbium. The signal processing circuit may comprise a multiplexer, demultiplexer, channel gain equalizer, N×M optical switch matrix, an optical modulator, or an add-drop multiplexer. The pump-signal coupling circuit may comprise an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer.
An integrated optical device comprising a metal-oxide-based optical planar waveguide amplifier monolithically integrated on a common substrate with at least one additional planar waveguide selected from a group comprising:
An integrated optical device in accordance with claim, wherein the pump-signal coupling circuit incorporates a slab waveguide for collecting pump radiation from a plurality of sources and guiding the radiation towards the amplifier.
A method of fabricating an optical device comprising a plurality of planar waveguides monolithically integrated on a common substrate, the method comprising:
A method in accordance with claim 35, wherein the gradual transition of effective refractive index is achieved by forming the core such that the terminal end is adiabatically tapered in cross-sectional dimensions and/or refractive index.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.