Amoco Corporation

E-systems, Inc.

Anthony L Moretti

Ravinder K Jain

John D Ralston

Frank A Chambers

Randy W Wickman

A waveguide type electro-absorptive optical modulator that resists damage to its input facet and methods for minimizing or eliminating optical and electrical damage to the input facet of waveguide type electro-absorptive modulator by fabrication of an electrically isolated region in the modulator's waveguide proximate the input facet by forming an ion implantation region in at least one waveguide confinement rib proximate the input facet, a signal contact end on the at least one rib that is recessed from the plane of the input facet, or both.

High power waveguide absorption modulator

The invention is directed to laterally confined optical waveguide devices in semiconductors using quantum-well structures. An optical waveguide having a core comprising at least one quantum-well structure is interposed between first and second cladding regions such that an optical beam inserted into the core region spreads laterally with respect to a primary direction of the beam. Contacts are fabricated on the surface of the top cladding region and serve as means for applying an electric field to the core of the waveguide. The electric field induces a change in the refractive index of the portion of the quantum-well structure within the field. The change in the refractive index functions to laterally confine the propagation of the optical beam to the region of the core within the electric field, while maintaining a low loss transmission. Controlling the lateral propagation of an optical beam by way of an applied electric field allows a family of low-loss optical devices such as modulators and switches to be realized. Such devices can be fabricated without regard to their orientation in the crystalline structure of the semiconductor material.

Electric field induced quantum well waveguides

Synthetic layered structures, which may be semiconductor structures, are modified, both laterally and vertically, to provide novel electronic, optoelectronic, and optical properties. This is accomplished by selective intermixing of such layered structures through selective irradiation with laser beam or electron beam energy sources to effect interaction between neighboring regions, to a degree dependent on the energy density, while avoiding physical damage to the layered structures.

Selective intermixing of layered structures composed of thin solid films

A multilayer structure formed of two or more separate layers of different materials can be selectively intermixed so as to become compositionally transmuted, such that the distinction between the different original materials is lost, at least partially. This intermixing is accomplished by employing irradiation with a pulsed or rapidly scanned laser or electron beam. In addition,the intermixing can be accomplised by multiple pulses from the laser or electron beam so as to increase the degree of intermixing, thereby obtaining a more complete mixing.

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Naperville, IL, United States of America

Anthony L Moretti