X Development LLC

Aleksandra Spyra

Alfred Ka Chun Cheung

Ian Alexander Durant Williamson

An optical modulator includes a modulation region, input, output, and sink ports, and a modulation actuator. The modulation region includes an inhomogeneous arrangement of two or more different materials having different refractive indexes. The input port is optically coupled to the modulation region to inject an optical carrier wave into the modulation region. The output port is optically coupled to the modulation region to receive and emit a modulated signal having a high state and a low state. The sink port is optically coupled to the modulation region. The modulation actuator is disposed proximate to the modulation region and adapted to apply a modulation bias to the modulation region that influences the different refractive indexes of the inhomogeneous arrangement to selectively steer a portion of optical power of the optical carrier wave to the sink port when the modulated signal is modulated into the low state.

Optical modulator with sink waveguide

An optical modulator includes a modulation region, an input port, an output port, and a modulation actuator. The modulation region includes an inhomogeneous arrangement of two or more different materials having different refractive indexes to structure the modulation region to manipulate one or more optical properties of an optical carrier wave in response to a modulation bias. The input port is optically coupled to the modulation region to inject the optical carrier wave into the modulation region. The modulation actuator is disposed proximate to the modulation region and adapted to apply the modulation bias to the modulation region to generate a modulated wave. The modulation bias adjusts at least one of the different refractive indexes of the inhomogeneous arrangement to provide variable control of the one or more optical properties of the optical carrier wave. The output port is optically coupled to the modulation region to receive the modulated wave.

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Aleksandra Spyra