Infinera Corporation

University System of Maryland

Little Optics Inc

Thorlabs Quantum Electronics, Inc.

John V Hryniewicz

Brent Everett Little

David M Gill

Oliver S King

Sai T Chu

Wei Chen

Roy R Davidson

Mehrdad Ziari

Frederick Gorr Johnson

Lance G Joneckis

Jeff Rahn

Philippe Patrick Absil

Fred A Kish, Jr

Charles H Joyner

Wenlu Chen

Timothy Butrie

Peter J S Heim

Michael Reffle

Yung Jui Chen

Jianfei Wang

Jacob Mertz

Philippe Absil

Ping-Tong Ho

Pierre Goubet

A tunable laser assembly housed in a single enclosure and a method of control is described wherein the tunable laser, pump and semiconductor optical amplifier do not share a common optical axis but are all aligned to optical waveguides on an intervening planar lightwave circuit (PLC). Wavelength monitoring circuitry is included on the PLC to enable monitoring and control of the tunable laser center wavelength and optical bandwidth. The design of the PLC does not introduce perturbations into the swept-source laser output spectrum that would cause artifacts in imaging applications such as optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Tunable laser assembly and method of control

A planar lightwave circuit (PLC) includes a substrate, a tunable filter, a demultiplexer (DEMUX), and an optical processor each disposed on the substrate. The tunable filter is configured to filter at least one of a bandwidth or a wavelength of a Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) optical input signal. The DEMUX is connected to the tunable filter and configured to receive a filtered WDM optical input signal at an input and to supply one of a plurality of channels of the filtered WDM input signal at a respective one of a plurality of outputs. Each of the plurality of channels corresponds to one of a plurality of wavelengths of the filtered WDM input signal. The optical processor includes a bit-delay interferometer communicating with a respective one of the plurality of outputs of the DEMUX. The optical processor is configured to receive one of the plurality of channels from the DEMUX and output a plurality of demodulated optical signal components.

Optical receiver including a filter on a planar lightwave circuit

An optical receiver includes a first substrate including a demultiplexer and a first optical waveguide array. An input of the demultiplexer is configured to receive a wavelength division multiplexed optical input signal having a plurality of channels. Each of the plurality of channels corresponds to one of a plurality of wavelengths. Each of the plurality of outputs is configured to supply a corresponding one of the plurality of channels. The first optical waveguide array has a plurality of inputs. Each of the inputs of the first optical waveguide array is configured to receive a corresponding one of the plurality of channels. A second substrate is in signal communication with the first substrate and includes an optical detector array. The optical detector array has a plurality of inputs, each of which is configured to receive a corresponding one of the plurality of channels and generate an electrical signal in response thereto.

Receiver on a photonic IC

The present invention relates to a waveguide structure, and methods for making the same. The waveguide structure has a polarization rotator for rotating the polarization of the electromagnetic signal, preferably by about ninety-degrees. In one embodiment, the polarization rotator has a midsection with a first level and a second level. The first level of the midsection has a width that decreases along the length of the first level, while the second level has a substantially constant width along the length of the second level. Further, the waveguide structure can include an input conditioning section and the output conditioning section to facilitate matching between the polarization rotator and other waveguide elements.

Adiabatic polarization converter

An intermediate structure used to form an integrated optics device comprising a substrate, a cladding on the substrate, at least one real waveguide on the cladding, and at least one dummy waveguide optically coupled with the real waveguide. The real waveguide forms a part of a predetermined planar lightwave circuit. The dummy waveguide does not form a part of the predetermined planar lightwave circuit.

Highly symmetric optical structures

A plurality of mask images defines an optical circuit image in photoresist. Each of the mask images comprises parts of the optical circuit and the totality of all mask images together defines an optical circuit. The optical circuit is thus made up of plural optical elements some of which may be positioned in drop-in locations within the boundary of another optical circuit element. A photolithography system globally aligns and exposes the mask images in photoresist. The resultant composite image is substantially indistinguishable from a single image of the entire optical circuit. Different images for each of the mask image parts can be substituted with other images or image parts and thereby exponentially increasing the number of circuit permutations from a predetermined number of available mask images. A unique optical circuit, for example, can be generated from a pre-existing library of reticle images. The images are printed in predetermined locations on a substrate to define the desired optical circuit. Thus, predefined second optical circuit elements can be dropped in (imaged or exposed) locations within a first optical circuit.

Integrated optical circuits having drop-in locations for optical circuit elements

A method is disclosed for forming an optical circuit on a substrate. The method includes the deployment of a plurality of mask images to define an optical circuit image in photoresist. Each of the mask images define parts of the optical circuit and the totality of all mask images substantially define an optical circuit. A photolithography system globally aligns and exposes the mask images in photoresist. The resultant composite image is substantially indistinguishable from a single image of the entire optical circuit. Different images for each of the mask image parts can be substituted with other images or image parts and thereby exponentially increasing the number of circuit permutations from a predetermined number of available mask images. The method is also applicable to generating a unique optical circuit from a pre-existing library of reticle images. The images are printed in predetermined locations on a substrate to define the desired optical circuit.

Method of forming an integrated optical circuit

A manufacturing process is provided for fabrication of vertically coupled integrated photonic devices by projection lithographic technique. A multi-layered structure is formed which includes a pair of core waveguiding layers separated by a coupling interlayer and sandwiched between cladding layers. Prior to forming optical features in the core layers, alignment marks are etched completely through the whole multi-layered structure with the alignment marks being visible on both sides of the multi-layered structure to a conventional projection stepper. After the alignment marks are formed, a 'bottom level' optical features are made through the bottom cladding layer, bottom core layer, and portion of intervening coupling layer. The formed sample is then bonded by a polymer to a carrier and a 'top level' optical features are defined through the top cladding, top core layer, and portion of the intervening coupling layer.

Method for fabrication of vertically coupled integrated optical structures

Devices and methods for the vapor deposition of amorphous, silicon-containing thin films using vapors comprised of deuterated species. Thin films grown on a substrate wafer by this method contain deuterium but little to no hydrogen. Optical devices comprised of optical waveguides formed using this method have significantly reduced optical absorption or loss in the near-infrared optical spectrum commonly used for optical communications, compared to the loss in waveguides formed in thin films grown using conventional vapor deposition techniques with hydrogen containing precursors. In one variation, the optical devices are formed on a silicon-oxide layer that is formed on a substrate, such as a silicon substrate. The optical devices of some variations are of the chemical species SiO N :D. Since the method of formation requires no annealing, the thin films can be grown on electronic and optical devices or portions thereof without damaging those devices.

Use of deuterated gases for the vapor deposition of thin films for low-loss optical devices and waveguides

An active monolithic optical device for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) incorporating diode laser arrays, an output coupling waveguide and a curved Rowland circle based grating to produce a plurality of individual laser beams at slightly different wavelengths is integrated in a common electro-optic material. The wavelength of each laser source is determined by the geometry of the array and the diffraction grating design. The output of all the channels can be collected into a concentrator or lens to be multiplexed in a single output. Applications include a WDM optical amplifier and WDM laser source.

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, MD, United States of America

John V Hryniewicz