Government of the United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary of Commerce

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

University of Colorado

Eric John Stanton

Jerry R Meyer

Igor Vurgaftman

Jeffrey Taylor Chiles

John E Bowers

Jock T Bovington

William W Bewley

Chadwick Lawrence Canedy

Mijin Kim

Charles D Merritt

Chul Soo Kim

Michael V Warren

Ian Robert Coddington

Martijn Heck

Alexander Spott

A quantum waveguide infrared photodetector includes: a photon absorption layer that receives infrared photons propagating longitudinally along a longitudinal length of the photon absorption layer, converts the infrared photons into electrons, and communicates the electrons to a conductor layer; a first conductor layer that receives a first electrical potential; and a second conductor layer that receives a second electrical potential, wherein electrons produced by the photon absorption layer are communicated from the photon absorption layer: to the first conductor layer when the first electrical potential is more positive than the second electrical potential, and to the second conductor layer when the second electrical potential is more positive than the first electrical potential, an electrical current produced by the electrons is proportional to an amount of absorption of the infrared photons in the photon absorption layer.

Quantum waveguide infrared photodetector

A self-referencing nonlinear frequency converting photonic waveguide includes: a supercontinuum input optical taper; a supercontinuum nonlinear optical member that produces supercontinuum light spanning an optical octave with respect to input light; and a supercontinuum output optical taper; a second harmonic input optical taper; a second harmonic nonlinear optical member that receives the supercontinuum light and produces second harmonic light from the supercontinuum light, the second harmonic light including a second harmonic of the supercontinuum light; and a second harmonic output optical taper that receives the second harmonic light, the supercontinuum light, and the input light and co-propagates the second harmonic light, the supercontinuum light, and the input light from the second harmonic generator section as output light.

Self-referencing nonlinear frequency converting photonic waveguide and self-referencing nonlinear frequency conversion

Various embodiments of the present technology provide a novel architecture for optical frequency conversion in a waveguide which can be applied to any suitable nonlinear waveguide material and any wavelength. In accordance with some embodiments, phase-matched bends can be used to increase the nonlinear interaction length. For example, the device can begin with a straight waveguide section with a width designed for phase-matching. When the straight waveguide section approaches the end of the chip, a bending waveguide section allows the waveguide to meander back in the opposite direction. Various embodiments of the bend can have a wider or narrower width to eliminate phase-matching for second harmonic generation (SHG) and instead provide a 2&#x3c0; phase-shift between the pump and signal light. Therefore, at the end of the bend, the pump and signal light are in-phase and a phase-matched width will continue the SHG process.

Systems and methods for efficient optical frequency conversion with integrated optical systems

Resonant-cavity infrared photodetector (RCID) devices that include a thin absorber layer contained entirely within the resonant cavity. In some embodiments, the absorber is a single type-II InAs&#x2014;GaSb interface situated between an AlSb/InAs superlattice n-type region and a p-type AlSb/GaSb region. In other embodiments, the absorber region comprises quantum wells formed on an upper surface of the n-type region. In other embodiments, the absorber region comprises a 'W'-structured quantum well situated between two barrier layers, the 'W'-structured quantum well comprising a hole quantum well sandwiched between two electron quantum wells. In other embodiments, the RCID includes a thin absorber region and an nBn or pBp active core within a resonant cavity. In some embodiments, the RCID is configured to absorb incident light propagating in the direction of the epitaxial growth of the RCID structure, while in other embodiments, it absorbs light propagating in the epitaxial plane of the structure.

In-plane resonant cavity infrared photodetectors with fully depleted absorbers

An ultra-broadband photonic integrated circuit platform that combines at least two types of waveguides that each transmit in different, but overlapping, spectral bands on a single chip. By combining the multiple waveguides, the bandwidth of the platform can be extended beyond the bandwidth of either waveguide alone. In an exemplary embodiment, an ultra-broadband photonic integrated circuit includes a nitride-on-insulator (NOI) waveguide configured to transmit optical beams in a first spectral band and a silicon-on-nitride-on-insulator (SONOI) waveguide configured to transmit optical beams in a second band, where the same material serves as the core material in the NOI waveguide and as the cladding material in the SONOI waveguide. In some embodiments, light-emitting devices are bonded to an upper surface of the waveguides. In some embodiments, the circuit includes beam-combining elements so that a single beam combining all of the input wavelengths is output from the circuit.

Ultra-broadband photonic integrated circuit platform and ultra-broadband photonic integrated circuit

Growing community of inventors

Boulder, CO, United States of America

Eric John Stanton