Luxtera, Inc.

California Institute of Technology

Rwth Aachen

University of Washington

Rwth Aachen University

Jeremy Witzens

Lawrence Cary Gunn, Iii

Thierry J Pinguet

Maxime Jean Rattier

Axel Scherer

Adithyaram Narasimha

Attila Mekis

Michael J Hochberg

George Maltezos

Myles A Sussman

Roman Malendevich

Florian Merget

Gianlorenzo Masini

Tom Baehr-Jones

Giovanni Capellini

Zhen-Li Ji

Brian Welch

Thiruvikraman Sadagopan

Behnam Analui

Sina Mirsaidi

Joseph W White

Juliana Mueller

Alvaro Moscoso-Martir

Chris I Walker

Lawrence C Gunn

Lawrence C Iii Gunn

A system for integrated power combiners is disclosed and may include receiving optical signals in input optical waveguides and phase-modulating the signals to configure a phase offset between signals received at a first optical coupler, where the first optical coupler may generate output signals having substantially equal optical powers. Output signals of the first optical coupler may be phase-modulated to configure a phase offset between signals received at a second optical coupler, which may generate an output signal having an optical power of essentially zero and a second output signal having a maximized optical power. Optical signals received by the input optical waveguides may be generated utilizing a polarization-splitting grating coupler to enable polarization-insensitive combining of optical signals. Optical power may be monitored using optical detectors. The monitoring of optical power may be used to determine a desired phase offset between the signals received at the first optical coupler.

Method and system for integrated power combiners

A transmitter (TX) for a WDM optical link includes a light source (CS) generating a plurality of discrete lines (EL) with different frequencies (f), a plurality of modulators (FSM, RRM, MZM), each modulator (FSM, RRM, MZM) being configured to modulate one of the discrete lines (EL) according to a data stream (c-c), at least one optical amplifier (SOA) configured to simultaneously amplify multiple lines (EL), wherein only a subset of the generated lines (EL) is routed to the optical amplifier (SOA) resp. to each one of the optical amplifiers (SOA). A receiver (RX) for an optical link adapted to work together with the transmitter (TX) is also described. An optical link including the transmitter (TX) and/or the receiver (RX), and a method to operate said link are also described.

WDM comb source based optical link with improved optical amplification

An apparatus may include a photonic device with at least a first waveguide having a light-conducting core bounded by at least one cladding layer, at least a second waveguide having a light-conducting core bounded by at least one cladding layer, wherein the first waveguide is aligned to couple with the second waveguide, wherein alignment of the first waveguide with the second waveguide with respect to at least one axis C coincides with at least one stop area of the photonic device resting on a stop surface of a corresponding support structure on a substrate, wherein the stop area is a stop in a recess from a surface of the photonic device. A method to fabricate the apparatus may include the recess is formed by etching of the photonic device, and/or the support structure is formed by etching of the substrate.

Self-alignment for apparatus comprising photonic device

A method and system for integrated power combiners are disclosed and may include a chip comprising a polarization controller, the polarization controller comprising an input optical waveguide, optical couplers, and a polarization-splitting grating coupler. The chip may be operable to: generate two output signals from a first optical coupler that receives an input signal from said input optical waveguide, phase modulate one or both of the two output signals to configure a phase offset between the two generated output signals before communicating signals with the phase offset to a second optical coupler. One or both optical signals generated by said second optical coupler may be phase modulated to configure a phase offset between signals communicated to the polarization-splitting grating coupler; and an optical signal of a desired polarization may be launched into an optical fiber via the polarization-splitting grating coupler by combining the signals communicated to the polarization-splitting grating coupler.

A method and an apparatus for butt-coupling an input beam incoming from a photonic device of a second optical element to a primary photonic chip at an input interface of the primary photonic chip is disclosed. The primary photonic chip comprises a coupling apparatus. The light from the input beam is butt-coupled to the coupling apparatus. The coupling apparatus comprises a plurality of more than one single mode optical paths on the primary photonic chip. The single mode optical paths are strongly coupled to each other at the input interface of the primary photonic chip. Regions of strongly coupled single mode optical paths can correspond to one or both of distinct but highly coupled waveguides or waveguides fully merged into a multi-mode section.

Laser to chip coupler

A photonic apparatus comprises an integrated waveguide, an integrated resonator in the form of a microtoroid and a thermally reflowable film. The reflowable film comprises a first film area and a second film area. The reflowable film is one of a thin film and a stack of thin films. The first film area is thermally reflown, the microtoroid is formed in the thermally reflown first film area. The second film area is not reflown in the immediate vicinity of the microtoroid. The microtoroid is optically coupled to the integrated waveguide located on or located within one of or both of the first or second film areas. The first and second film areas are directly connected to each other. The microtoroid has an edge extending along a circumference. The microtoroid can be a non-inverted or an inverted microtoroid, wherein the second film area is inside or outside of the circumference.

Integrated microtoroids monolithically coupled with integrated waveguides

A phase noise detection apparatus comprises a laser beam, an optical resonator coupled thereto at a coupling point and a photodetector receiving light from the laser beam. The laser beam and the resonator coupled thereto convert phase noise of light transported by the laser beam prior to the coupling point into intensity noise of light transported by the laser beam thereafter. Intensity noise is converted into an electrical signal by the photodetector. The electrical signal is sent through a first signal path and a second signal path such that the first signal path transports a signal substantially proportional to the intensity noise, which is integrated in an integrator in the second path. Relative gain of the two signal paths can be adjusted and the overall gain of the signal path is preferably such that the optical phase modulator at least partially cancels said phase noise in the optical domain.

Broadband optical phase detection and phase noise removal with an optical resonator

An apparatus for analysis of a sample and in particular of a biological sample. The apparatus contains a microfluidic chip with dies, adapted to be selectively activated or deactivated by presence of target molecules in the biological sample. The apparatus further contains a light source to emit light for illumination of the microfluidic chip and an optical filter to allow passage of the light from the dies once activated or deactivated by the presence of the target molecules. A method for pressurizing a microfluidic chip is also disclosed, where a chamber is provided, the chamber is connected with the microfluidic chip and pressure is applied to the chamber.

Apparatus for detecting target molecules and related methods

An optical data link has a transmitter and a receiver with coherent detection at the receiver and more than one optical carrier frequency. The optical carrier frequencies are generated by a frequency comb source in both the transmitter and the receiver. The frequency comb sources generate frequency combs that have frequency components and a free spectral range. The optical carrier frequencies transport more than one optical channel. Either at least one frequency component or the free spectral range of the optical comb generated at the receiver is locked to the comb generated at the transmitter by an optical phase locked loop, or an electrical phase locked loop or a feed-forward carrier recovery generates an intermediate frequency carrier reference that is routed to more than one channel to demodulate the data.

WDM telecommunications link with coherent detection and optical frequency comb sources

An electro-optical modulator with two electrodes as part of a transmission line of a first phase modulator and two electrodes as part of a transmission line of a second phase modulator included in two arms of a Mach-Zehnder-interferometer. An electrical controller applies a first electrical high-frequency-modulated voltage signals between the first and second electrodes and applies a second electrical high-frequency-modulated signals between the fourth and third electrodes. The electrical controller applies signals such that voltages applied to the first and fourth electrodes have substantially a same high-frequency content, and voltages applied to the second and third electrodes have substantially the same high-frequency content. In such configuration, a constant voltage offset is produced by either the voltages applied to the first and fourth electrodes or, the second and third electrodes. Thereby, cross-talk between electrodes, electrical losses, device size and fabrication costs may be reduced.

Electro-optical modulator based on carrier depletion or carrier accumulation in semiconductors with advanced electrode configuration

A Mach-Zehnder interferometer useful for analog or digital optical signal manipulation. In one example, the MZI is configured as an optical device that provides a balanced output. In another example, the MZI is configured as an optical device that provides a single ended output. Each device uses a silicon split or slotted wave guide having an electro-optically active material present within the slot. The balanced output device uses two slotted wave guides in push-pull configuration.

Transmission line driven slot waveguide mach-zehnder interferometers

Methods for fabricating waveguides in conjunction with interconnect fabrication in back-ends of integrated circuits and structures thereof are disclosed. One method for forming a waveguide in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure comprises selectively etching a dielectric layer and forming of a core region of a waveguide at a back-end of an integrated circuit. The dielectric layer is material deposited during a cycle of fabrication of the back-end of the integrated circuit. The method further includes depositing a material having a dielectric constant that is suitable to be the core region of the waveguide cladded by the dielectric layer over the dielectric layer and into the etched feature for the core region of the waveguide, and planarizing a surface of the material.

Growing community of inventors

Pasadena, CA, United States of America

Jeremy Witzens