Method and apparatus of monitoring and controlling the emission wavelengths of a plurality of laser sources integrated on the same chip or in the same photonic integrated circuit (PIC)
Granted: July 18, 2006
Patent Number:
7079721
A method and apparatus operates an array of laser sources as an integrated array on a single substrate or as integrated in an optical transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TxPIC) maintaining the emission wavelengths of such integrated laser sources at their targeted emission wavelengths or at least to more approximate their desired respective emission wavelengths. Wavelength changing elements may accompany the laser sources to bring about the change in their operational or emission…
Passivation of photonic integrated circuits (PICs)
Granted: July 11, 2006
Patent Number:
7076126
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) comprises a plurality of integrated optically coupled components formed in a surface of the PIC and a passivating layer overlies at least a portion of the PIC surface. The overlying passivating layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of BCB, ZnS and ZnSe. Also, when the circuits are PIC chips are die in the semiconductor wafer, a plurality of linear cleave streets are formed in a wafer passivation layer where a pattern of the…
InP-based photonic integrated circuits with Al-containing waveguide cores and InP-based array waveguide gratings (AWGs) and avalanche photodiodes (APDs) and other optical components containing an InAlGaAs waveguide core
Granted: July 4, 2006
Patent Number:
7072557
The Group III–V quaternary, InAlGaAs is employed as a waveguide layer in optical components, such as In-P based array waveguide gratings (AWGs), avalanche photodiodes (APDs) or other optical components that contain a waveguide core in the InP regime. The deployment of InAlGaAs waveguides provides for high uniform photoluminescent (PL) emission wavelength across the wafer for InAlGaAs waveguides as compared to InGaAsP waveguides as now commonly employed in such optical devices or…
Benzocyclobutene polymer (BCB) as a passivation layer for optical passive elements
Granted: June 20, 2006
Patent Number:
7065266
An InP-based photonic integrated circuit (PIC) includes an optical passive element in the circuit with no bias current applied to such an element. A passivation cladding layer overlies a surface of the optical passive element where the passivation layer comprises benzocyclobutene polymer or BCB.
Method of reducing insertion loss in a transition region between a plurality of input or output waveguides to a free space coupler region
Granted: June 13, 2006
Patent Number:
7060517
A method for reducing insertion loss in a transition region between a plurality of input or output waveguides to a free space coupler region in a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) includes the steps of forming a passivation layer over the waveguides and region and forming the passivation overlayer such that it monotonically increases in thickness through the transition region to the free space coupler region.
Submount for a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip
Granted: June 13, 2006
Patent Number:
7062114
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip with a plurality of electro-optic components formed on a major surface of the chip and a submount that includes a substrate that extends over the major surface of the chip forming an air gap between the substrate and the major surface, the substrate to support electrical leads for electrical connection to some of the electro-optic components on the chip major surface.
Transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TxPIC) chip with enhanced power and yield without on-chip amplification
Granted: June 6, 2006
Patent Number:
7058246
A monolithic photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip comprises an array of modulated sources providing a plurality of channel signals of different wavelengths and an optical combiner coupled to receive the channel signals and produce a combined output of the channel signals. The arrays of modulated sources are formed as ridge waveguides to enhance the output power from the respective modulated sources so that the average output power from the sources is approximately 2 to 4 times higher…
Optical communication system with multiple photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chips and an external booster optical amplifier for photonic integrated circuits (PICs)
Granted: June 6, 2006
Patent Number:
7058248
A C- and/or L-band booster optical amplifier is utilized in an optical communication system at the output of one or more semiconductor transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TxPIC) chips or the optical combined outputs of multiple semiconductor transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TxPIC) chips employed in an optical communication module, the deployment of integrated semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) on the TxPIC chips can be eliminated. This would reduce both the complexity…
Optical transport network
Granted: June 6, 2006
Patent Number:
7058263
An optical transport network comprises a monolithic transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TxPIC) InP-based chip and a monolithic receiver photonic integrated circuit (RxPIC) InP-based chip.
Optical receiver photonic integrated circuit (RxPIC) system
Granted: May 23, 2006
Patent Number:
7050666
An optical receiver photonic integrated circuit (RxPIC) system includes a monolithic semiconductor chip having an input to receive a WDM combined channel signal comprising a plurality of optical channel signals of different wavelengths. A chip-integrated decombiner is coupled to the chip input to receive the WDM combined channel signal and separate the same into a plurality of different channel signals having different wavelengths. An array of integrated photodetectors, also integrated…
Method of in-wafer testing of monolithic photonic integrated circuits (PICs) formed in a semiconductor wafer
Granted: May 9, 2006
Patent Number:
7043109
A method of in-wafer testing is provided for a monolithic photonic integrated circuit (PIC) formed in a semiconductor wafer where each such in-wafer circuit comprises two or more integrated electro-optic components, one of each in tandem forming a signal channel in the circuit. The method includes the provision of a first integrated photodetector at a rear end of each signal channel and a second integrated photodetector at forward end of each signal channel. Then, the testing is…
Method for forming and apparatus comprising optical waveguides leading to a free space coupler region
Granted: April 11, 2006
Patent Number:
7027703
A method for forming and apparatus comprising a free space coupler region having a plurality of optical waveguides coupled to the space coupler region at an interface region, the waveguides converging with one another to the interface region, and a trench formed between adjacent waveguides, the depth of the trench or trenches extending from an outer point to the interface region and monotonically decreasing in depth from the outer point to the interface region.
Method and apparatus for a polarization insensitive arrayed waveguide grating (AWG)
Granted: March 21, 2006
Patent Number:
7016571
An arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) comprises at least two free space regions, a plurality of grating arms extending between the two space regions, a passivation layer formed over the arrayed waveguide grating and a plurality of inputs at least to one of the free space regions to receive a plurality of channel signals separated by a predetermined channel spacing. A depth of the passivation layer chosen by providing a TE to TM wavelength shift between TE and TM modes propagating through…
Method of providing a low cost semiconductor transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TxPIC) chip
Granted: March 7, 2006
Patent Number:
7010185
A method of deploying a passive optical combiner that is a broad bandwidth spectral wavelength combiner for combining the outputs from multiples transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TxPIC) chips and, thereafter, the amplification of the combined channel signals with a booster optical amplifier couple between the passive optical combiner and the fiber transmission link. The booster optical amplifier may be a rear earth fiber amplifier, such as an erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA),…
In-wafer testing of integrated optical components in photonic integrated circuits (PICs)
Granted: February 28, 2006
Patent Number:
7006719
Disclosed are apparatus and methods of reducing insertion loss, passivation, planarization and in-wafer testing of integrated optical components and in-wafer chips in photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
Electrical isolation of optical components in photonic integrated circuits (PICs)
Granted: February 14, 2006
Patent Number:
6999489
A method of electrically isolating and operating electro-optical components integrated in a monolithic semiconductor photonic chip, such as an EML or PIC chip. A bias, VC, is applied to the isolation region so that any parasitical current path developed between adjacent active or passive optical components, now separated by an isolation region, is established through the electrical isolation region and clamped to the bias, VC. The applied bias, VC, may be a positive bias, a negative…
Method of in-wafer testing of monolithic photonic integrated circuits (PICs) formed in a semiconductor wafer
Granted: January 10, 2006
Patent Number:
6985648
A method of in-wafer testing is provided for a monolithic photonic integrated circuit (PIC) formed in a semiconductor wafer where each such in-wafer circuit comprises two or more integrated electro-optic components, one of each in tandem forming a signal channel in the circuit. The method includes the provision of a first integrated photodetector at a rear end of each signal channel and a second integrated photodetector at forward end of each signal channel. Then, the testing is…
Oxygen-doped Al-containing current blocking layers in active semiconductor devices
Granted: May 10, 2005
Patent Number:
6891202
An active semiconductor device, such as, buried heterostructure semiconductor lasers, LEDs, modulators, photodiodes, heterojunction bipolar transistors, field effect transistors or other active devices, comprise a plurality of semiconductor layers formed on a substrate with one of the layers being an active region. A current channel is formed through this active region defined by current blocking layers formed on adjacent sides of a designated active region channel where the blocking…
Electrical isolation of optical components in photonic integrated circuits (PICs)
Granted: August 3, 2004
Patent Number:
6771682
Electrical isolation regions are formed between adjacently disposed electro-optical components integrated in a monolithic semiconductor photonic chip, such as an EML or PIC chip. A bias, VC, is applied to the isolation region so that any parasitical current path developed between adjacent active or passive optical components, now separated by an isolation region, is established through the electrical isolation region and clamped to the bias, VC. The applied bias, VC, may be a positive…
Optical modulator driver circuit with low power dissipation
Granted: March 16, 2004
Patent Number:
6707589
An optical modulator drive circuit provides a different approach to driving an optical modulator than presently employed, resulting in a reduction in power dissipation of the drive circuit by as much as 80%. Therefore, this invention dissipates as little as 20% of power of the present drive circuits known in the art. The optical modulator may be a semiconductor electro-absorption modulator but the principle of the invention can be applied any other type of electro-optic modulator that…
