# US 7,609,916 B2 · Electrical contact apparatus for optical waveguides > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,609,916 B2 - Document ID: US7609916B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/900,714 - Filed: 2007-09-13 - Published: 2009-03-19 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2007-09-13 - Assignees: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. - Inventors: Charles M. Santori; Duncan Stewart; Philip J. Kuekes; Theodore I. Kamins - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7609916B2 ## CPC - G02B 6/1226: {involving surface plasmon interaction} - B82Y 20/00: Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals - G02F 1/01708: {in an optical wavequide structure} - G02F 2203/15: involving resonance effects, e.g. resonantly enhanced interaction - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES - G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS ## Abstract An optical apparatus includes a waveguide configured to propagate optical energy; an electrical contact surface; and a semiconductor electrical interconnect extending from a first surface of the optical waveguide to electrical communication with the electrical contact surface. The semiconductor electrical interconnect comprises a geometry configured to substantially confine the optical energy to the waveguide. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An optical apparatus, comprising: a substrate; a waveguide configured to propagate optical energy disposed on said substrate; and a semiconductor electrical interconnect disposed between said waveguide and an electrical contact surface, said interconnect being in electrical communication with said electrical contact surface; in which said semiconductor electrical interconnect comprises a geometry configured to substantially confine said optical energy to said waveguide, and in which said semiconductor electrical interconnect is configured to separate said waveguide and said electrical contact surface by a distance greater than one wavelength of the optical energy to propagate through said waveguide. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The optical apparatus of claim 1, wherein said semiconductor electrical interconnect comprises at least one physical feature selected from the group consisting of: recesses, protrusions, trenches, holes, nanoholes, nanowires, and ridges. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The optical apparatus of claim 2, wherein said semiconductor electrical interconnect comprises at least one recess; wherein said at least one recess is filled with an insulating material having a lower refractive index than said waveguide. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The optical apparatus of claim 3, wherein said semiconductor electrical interconnect comprises a plurality of recesses, wherein different recesses are filled with different insulating materials. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The optical apparatus of claim 1, wherein said semiconductor electrical interconnect is doped with electronic carriers selected from the group consisting of: electrons and holes. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The optical apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one layer of material intermediate said substrate and said optical waveguide. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The optical apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second electrical contact surface in electrical communication with at least one doped side region in said optical waveguide. ### Claim 8 An optical resonator, comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer disposed on said substrate; a semiconductor waveguide disposed on said insulating layer; and a plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects extending at least one half of a wavelength of optical energy configured to propagate through said waveguide from a first surface of said semiconductor waveguide in a direction substantially away from said substrate, each of said plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects forming a substantially independent electrical path from an electrical contact surface to said semiconductor waveguide; wherein said plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects comprise a geometry configured to substantially confine said optical energy to said waveguide. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The optical resonator of claim 8, wherein said plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects comprise at least one physical feature selected from the group consisting of: recesses, protrusions, trenches, holes, nanoholes, nanowires, and ridges. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The optical resonator of claim 9, wherein said plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects are separated by at least one recess; wherein said recess is filled with an insulating material having a lower refractive index than said waveguide and plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The optical resonator of claim 10, wherein said insulating material in said at least one recess is different from material in said insulating layer. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The optical resonator of claim 9, said plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects are separated by at least one recess; wherein said at least one recess comprises a partial or full vacuum. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The optical resonator of claim 8, wherein said semiconductor electrical interconnects are doped with electronic carriers selected from the group consisting of: electrons and holes. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The optical resonator of claim 8, wherein said waveguide comprises a semiconductor body having a substantially intrinsic center region and doped side regions. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The optical resonator of claim 14, further comprising a second electrical contact surface in electrical communication with at least one of said doped side regions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 8) The optical resonator of claim 8, wherein each of said plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects is in electrical communication with an electrical contact surface and contacting said first surface at different locations such that charge carrier injection into said semiconductor waveguide is distributed over said first surface. ### Claim 17 A method of fabricating an optical apparatus, comprising: providing an optical waveguide configured to propagate optical energy; providing a plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects extending from a first surface of said optical waveguide, wherein said plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects comprise a geometry configured to substantially confine optical energy to said optical waveguide; and disposing a metal contact surface on said plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising selectively etching at least one recess in said plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising filling said at least one recess with an electrically insulating material having a lower refractive index than said optical waveguide and said plurality of semiconductor electrical interconnects. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein said metal contact surface is disposed on said semiconductor electrical interconnects at a distance from said optical waveguide of at least one half of the wavelength, measured in the material of said optical waveguide, of the optical energy configured to propagate through said optical waveguide.