Highly symmetric optical structures
Granted: April 28, 2009
Patent Number:
7526151
An intermediate structure used to form an integrated optics device comprising a substrate, a cladding on the substrate, at least one real waveguide on the cladding, and at least one dummy waveguide optically coupled with the real waveguide. The real waveguide forms a part of a predetermined planar lightwave circuit. The dummy waveguide does not form a part of the predetermined planar lightwave circuit.
Multi-section coupler to mitigate guide-guide asymmetry
Granted: April 14, 2009
Patent Number:
7519240
A wavelength independent multi-section optical coupler having at least three optical couplers, and at least two differential phase cells. Each optical coupler has two waveguides forming a coupling region having a net coupling value. The coupling value for each coupling region of the at least three optical couplers is different than the coupling values of the other two coupling regions. Each differential phase cell connects adjacent ones of said optical couplers. Each differential phase…
Photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chips
Granted: April 14, 2009
Patent Number:
7519246
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip comprising an array of modulated sources, each providing a modulated signal output at a channel wavelength different from the channel wavelength of other modulated sources and a wavelength selective combiner having an input optically coupled to received all the signal outputs from the modulated sources and provide a combined output signal on an output waveguide from the chip. The modulated sources, combiner and output waveguide are all integrated…
Transmitter photonic integrated circuits (TXPICS) with directly modulated lasers and wavelength selective combiners
Granted: March 31, 2009
Patent Number:
7512295
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip comprising an array of modulated sources, each providing a modulated signal output at a channel wavelength different from the channel wavelength of other modulated sources and a wavelength selective combiner having an input optically coupled to received all the signal outputs from the modulated sources and provide a combined output signal on an output waveguide from the chip. The modulated sources, combiner and output waveguide are all integrated…
Integrated optics polarization beam splitter using form birefringence
Granted: March 17, 2009
Patent Number:
7505640
A method for separating the orthogonal polarization components of an incident optical signal into two spatially separated output ports is described. The method comprises a Mach-Zehnder interferometer where one of the two branches has a section of waveguide that exhibits form-birefringence. This integrated optic Polarization Beam Splitter (PBS) is broadband, has high extinction ratio, and has characteristics that are tunable.
Method of using a polarization sorter
Granted: March 3, 2009
Patent Number:
7499610
A method of using a passive polarization sorter comprising the step of deploying a first waveguide and a second waveguide forming an adiabatic region along a portion of their length. Then, an input optical signal is introduced into the first waveguide wherein light having at least one guided TE polarized mode of mode ranking mode-i-TE and at least one guided TM polarized mode of mode ranking mode-j-TM remaining within the first waveguide. Light having the other one of the TE and TM…
Optical transmitter
Granted: February 10, 2009
Patent Number:
7489838
An optical transmitter comprises an array of modulated sources having different operating wavelengths approximating a standardized wavelength grid and providing signal outputs of different wavelengths. Signal outputs of the modulated sources are optically coupled to inputs of the wavelength selective combiner to produce a combined signal output from the combiner. The wavelength selective combiner has a wavelength grid passband response approximating the wavelength grid of the…
Method of calibrating a monolithic transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TXPIC) chip
Granted: January 27, 2009
Patent Number:
7483599
A method of calibrating a monolithic transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TxPIC) chip is disclosed where the chip contains integrated arrays of laser sources and electro-optic modulators forming a plurality of different wavelength signal channels where each laser source on the chip is sequentially selected and tested for the output power and operational wavelength. Calibration data is initially determined by checking an amount of output power of each laser output and any offset of…
Monolithic transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TxPIC) semiconductor chip
Granted: January 13, 2009
Patent Number:
7477807
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip comprising an array of modulated sources, each providing a modulated signal output at a channel wavelength different from the channel wavelength of other modulated sources and a wavelength selective combiner having an input optically coupled to received all the signal outputs from the modulated sources and provide a combined output signal on an output waveguide from the chip. The modulated sources, combiner and output waveguide are all integrated…
Method of tuning optical components integrated in a monolithic photonic integrated circuit (PIC)
Granted: December 30, 2008
Patent Number:
7471857
An optical transmitter comprises a monolithic transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TxPIC) chip that includes an array of modulated sources formed on the PIC chip and having different operating wavelengths approximating a standardized wavelength grid and providing signal outputs of different wavelengths. A wavelength selective combiner is formed on the PIC chip having a wavelength grid passband response approximating the wavelength grid of the standardized wavelength grid. The signal…
Integrated optical circuits having drop-in locations for optical circuit elements
Granted: December 23, 2008
Patent Number:
7468237
A plurality of mask images defines an optical circuit image in photoresist. Each of the mask images comprises parts of the optical circuit and the totality of all mask images together defines an optical circuit. The optical circuit is thus made up of plural optical elements some of which may be positioned in drop-in locations within the boundary of another optical circuit element. A photolithography system globally aligns and exposes the mask images in photoresist. The resultant…
Monolithic transmitter/receiver photonic integrated circuit (Tx/RxPIC) transceiver chip
Granted: December 16, 2008
Patent Number:
7466882
A single monolithic transceiver chip for handling optical to electrical to optical conversion of optical WDM signals in an optical transmission network which has an optical WDM signal input for reception of a WDM signal and an optical WDM signal output for transmission of a WDM signal and a plurality of electrical signal outputs and a plurality of electrical signal inputs. The chip further comprises an integrated decombiner coupled to the optical signal input that separates the WDM…
Method and apparatus for providing an antireflection coating on the output facet of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip
Granted: December 2, 2008
Patent Number:
7460742
An on-chip photodiode is provided in a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) on a semiconductor chip to monitor or check for antireflection qualities of an AR coating applied to the front facet of the semiconductor chip.
Receiver photonic integrated circuit (RxPIC) chip utilizing compact wavelength selective decombiners
Granted: November 25, 2008
Patent Number:
7457496
A monolithic receiver photonic integrated circuit (RxPIC) chip includes a plurality of optical signal channels together with other active elements integrated on a semiconductor chip, which chips further include a wavelength selective decombiner comprising a supergrating or an Echelle grating which provides for a more compact chip compared to an integrated on-chip arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) functioning as a wavelength selective decombiner.
Transmission line with low dispersive properties and its application in equalization
Granted: November 4, 2008
Patent Number:
7446622
A transmission line is provided with added shunt resistance, RSH, distributed along the length of the micro transmission line permitting the extension of constant characteristic impedance to the transmission line to lower signal frequencies. The loss in gain to the signal propagating the transmission line due to the added resistance can be compensated for by amplification provided at the output of the transmission line or at output taps provided along the length of the transmission line…
Tilted combiners/decombiners and photonic integrated circuit (PIC) employing the same
Granted: October 28, 2008
Patent Number:
7444048
A monolithic optical transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TxPIC) comprises a plurality of integrated modulated sources which, when all operated at constant current, display a power output that varies as a function of array position similar to a quadratic-shaped curve and, further, forming an array of signal channels each having a different wavelength output. An optical combiner/decombiner is integrated in the circuit and has at least one free space region with a plurality of ordered…
Method of manufacturing and apparatus for a transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TXPIC) chip
Granted: October 14, 2008
Patent Number:
7437029
A monolithic photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip where the active waveguide cores of the modulated sources of the PIC are multiple quantum wells (MQWs) and the passive waveguide cores of an optical combiner are a bulk layer or material. The cores of the waveguide cores may be a quaternary such as InGaAsP or InAlGaAs.
Configurable integrated optical combiners and decombiners
Granted: July 1, 2008
Patent Number:
7394953
System, devices and methods are described that provide an integrated optical decombiner or optical combiner having both unamplified paths and amplified paths on which power monitoring and control may be located. A preferred multiplexing/demultiplexing optical path through the combiner/decombiner and a corresponding waveguide output/input is identified and optically coupled to a piece of fiber. Temperature control may be provided to tune an arrayed waveguide grating within the…
Polarization sorter
Granted: May 13, 2008
Patent Number:
7373042
A polarization sorter having an input, an output and a slowly varying region. The input has at least one input waveguide. The input waveguide supports at least one guided TE polarized mode of mode ranking mode-i-TE, and at least one guided TM polarized mode of mode ranking mode-j-TM. The output has at least two output waveguides. At least one output waveguide supports a TE polarized mode of mode ranking mode-i-TE, and at least one waveguide supports a TM polarized mode of mode ranking…
Integrated optical mode shape transformer and method of fabrication
Granted: April 15, 2008
Patent Number:
7359593
An integrated optical mode transformer provides a low loss interconnection between an optical fiber and an integrated optic waveguide having a spot size different from that of the fiber. The mode transformer is comprised of two waveguide layers, an upper layer and a lower layer, with the upper layer being contiguous to the lower layer. The lower layer is the integrated optic waveguide layer forming the optical circuit. The input dimensions of the composite two-waveguide structure…
