Intel Corporation

Sparkolor Corporation

Gemfire Corporation

Other

David A G Deacon

Shing Lee

William K Bischel

Michael J Brinkman

Tony C Kowalczyk

Ut Tran

Simon J Field

Hilary Sue Lackritz

Jorg Hubner

Yeong-Cheng Lee

Steven J Madden

Mark J Dyer

Edward J DeWath

Richard B Tompane

Linda A Whittelsey

A well may be formed for access to an optical waveguide core by a process that results in an L-shaped well. The L-shaped well may then be filled with a polymer. By controlling the size of each portion of well, the occurrence of bubbles within the well and cuts to the core may be reduced.

Constructing well structures for hybrid optical waveguides

A set of three gratings may be operated in a vernier loop fashion to select a particular wavelength from a wavelength division multiplexed system. As a result, an optical add/drop multiplexer may be provided that can be tuned to select a desired wavelength. In one embodiment, the tuning may be done thermo-optically.

Hitless tunable optical add drop multiplexer with vernier gratings

Embodiments of a wavelength tunable optical coupler, integrated optical components, and lasers are disclosed. The tunable optical coupler, the integrated optical components, and the lasers include thermo-optic organic material that has an index of refraction which can quickly vary in response to changes in temperature. By controlling the temperature in the thermo-optic organic material through the use of heaters or coolers, the optical coupler, the integrated optical components, and the lasers can be quickly and selectively tuned over a broad range of wavelengths with high spectral selectivity.

Wavelength tunable optical components

A method of making permanent adjustments to the resonant cavity of a laser device in order to match its free spectral range to a specified frequency interval involves monitoring the optical output produced during laser operation or cavity illumination with diagnostic light, determining the free spectral range from the monitored output, and then permanently modifying the effective refractive index of an intracavity waveguide segment of the laser device according to the determined free spectral range obtained from the monitoring step until the desired match is achieved. The permanent index changes can be done in several ways, including illumination of the intracavity segment with an energetic beam (e.g. UV light) to induce a chemical alteration in the waveguide material, such as polymer cross-linking in the waveguide cladding. Evaporative deposition or ablative removal of intracavity waveguide material would also produce the desired permanent modifications.

Method of making channel-aligned resonator devices

Embodiments of wavelength tunable lasers are disclosed. The wavelength tunable lasers include thermo-optic organic material that has an index of refraction that can quickly vary in response to changes in temperature. By controlling the temperature in the thermo-optic organic material through the use of heaters or coolers, the wavelength tunable lasers and the integrated optical components can be quickly and selectively tuned over a broad range of wavelengths with high spectral selectivity.

Thermally wavelength tunable lasers

Optoelectronic and photonic devices are formed by employing polymer materials that have a lower glass transition temperature (Tg) than the nominal operating temperature. By using such materials, the local or segmental mobility is increased so that local stress is eliminated or minimized on the polymer material, making performance more robust. The current invention involves use of a polymer in an optical device in an operating temperature range in the region above Tg, where the polymer segments between crosslinks are allowed local freedom of movement; however, large-scale movement of the material may be restricted by the crosslinked structure of the polymer material. The temperature operation point of a device constructed according to the invention is thus preferably distanced from both the viscoelastic region near Tg and from the glassy region below Tg; such that the device is operated in a region where viscoelastic effects do not significantly affect the materials system, and time-dependent responses of the polymer are minimized or eliminated. Device operation can thus achieve minimum degradation and show improved performance attributes.

Optoelectronic and photonic devices formed of materials which inhibit degradation and failure

A semiconductor laser diode mounted to a heat sink body has a thermally resistive layer located between the two in order to provide a specified thermal impedance that balances the contrary responses to laser aging and changes in drive current. The required thermal impedance is determined by experimental trial on a plurality of identically mounted test structures differing only in their thermally resistive layer impedances, which are then operated to cause laser aging. The optical mode frequency output from the laser diodes in the test devices are measured under normal operating conditions at least before and after the laser aging, and the thermal impedance value that would result in a substantially zero change in laser output is calculated from these measurements. The resistive layer's thickness and/or doping level may be used to select the desired thermal impedance. As a result, the mounted laser device with this layer is characterized by an effective refractive index of the laser diode that remains substantially constant as the laser ages with constant operating conditions, and thus the device has an age-stable output frequency.

Laser frequency aging compensation

A thermally wavelength tunable laser includes a core, the core including more than one diffraction grating, and thermo-optical material adjacent to each diffraction grating. By selectively changing the temperature and hence the refractive index in the thermo-optical material adjacent to a chosen diffraction grating, the chosen diffraction grating can be tuned over a selected wavelength range. By selecting different diffraction gratings, different, non-overlapping wavelength ranges can be selected and the laser can be tuned over a broad range of wavelengths.

Thermally wavelength tunable laser having selectively activated gratings

A thermally wavelength tunable laser having selectively activated gratings includes a core, more than one periodic arrangement adjacent to the core, and thermo-optical material adjacent to each periodic arrangement. At an off temperature, the refractive index of the periodic arrangement and the adjacent thermo-optical material is the same. By selectively changing the temperature and hence the refractive index in the thermo-optical material adjacent to a selected periodic arrangement, the selected periodic arrangement forms a diffraction grating which can be tuned over a selected wavelength range. By selecting different periodic arrangements, different, non-overlapping wavelength ranges can be selected and the laser can be tuned over a broad range of wavelengths.

An optical device includes at least a first and second electrical conductors. At least one optical layer overlies at least a portion of the first and second electrical conductors. An applicator is positioned proximate to said at least one optical layer to selectively redirect light from the optical layer. An electrical coupling path between said at least one applicator and one of said first or second electrical conductors, at least a portion of the coupling path traversing said at least one optical layer. At least one optical waveguide may be formed in an optical layer above said electrical conductors. A feature is located to receive light redirected by the applicator and at least one electrical coupling path, which may be included in said feature, couples the applicator and at least one of said plurality of conductors. In a further aspect, a method for manufacturing an optical device is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: providing a substrate; constructing at least a first electrical conductor in a first substantially planar layer; forming an optical guiding structure in an optical layer; constructing at least one applicator capable of redirecting optical energy; constructing a feature; and electrically coupling said applicator and said at least first electrical conductor.

Electrical connection scheme for optical devices

A flat panel display is based on a new switching technology for routing laser light among a set of optical waveguides and coupling that light toward the viewer. The switching technology is based on poled electro-optical structures. The display technology is versatile enough to cover application areas spanning the range from miniature high resolution computer displays to large screen displays for high definition television formats. The invention combines the high brightness and power efficiency inherent in visible semiconductor diode laser sources with a new waveguide electro-optical switching technology to form a dense two-dimensional addressable array of high brightness light emissive pixels.

Display panel with electrically-controlled waveguide-routing

Tunable add-drop and cross connect devices include materials with negative refractive index dependence on temperature and temperature independent coincidence between modes of an athermal ring resonator and a set of specified frequencies, e.g. for DWDM telecommunications channels. The free spectral range may be adjusted to equal a rational fraction of the specified frequency interval. The operating frequency may be selected without substantially tuning the resonator modes by a thermo-optically tuned feedback element having a waveguide pair with differential thermal response. The operating frequency may be induced to hop digitally between the specified frequencies.

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

David A G Deacon