Acacia Communications, Inc.

The Ohio State University

Li Chen

Christopher Richard Doerr

Long L Chen

Ronald M Reano

In a first embodiment, an external cavity tunable laser, comprising a silicon photonics circuit comprising one or more resonators having one or more p-i-n junctions; wherein a voltage is applied to one or more of the p-i-n junctions. In a second embodiment, a method of operating an external cavity tunable laser, comprising sweeping out free-carriers from a resonator of the tunable laser by applying a voltage to a p-i-n junction of a waveguide of the resonator.

Carrier sweep-out in a tunable laser

An integrated wavelength division multiplexer is described. The integrated wavelength division multiplexer may include a first waveguide core defining a first propagation axis and configured to guide light of a first wavelength and light of a second wavelength, and a second waveguide core defining a second propagation axis and configured to guide the light of the second wavelength. A first portion of the second propagation axis for which the first waveguide core and second waveguide core may be overlapping is oriented at a non-zero angle relative to the first propagation axis. The first waveguide core and second waveguide core may be configured relative to each other to adiabatically couple the light of the second wavelength between the first and second waveguide cores.

Wavelength division multiplexer

Cantilevered waveguides suspended above an air cavity in an underlying substrate are described. The waveguide is formed by patterning a waveguide layer in some embodiments, and the air cavity is formed by etching the substrate beneath the waveguide. The topside of the air cavity may be sealed by filling the openings used to etch the cavity with a sealant, such as optical epoxy. In some embodiments, the waveguide is a facet coupler, positioned at a chip facet.

Suspended cantilever waveguide

A method and apparatus for a silicon photonics chip and a rare-earth-ion-doped waveguide amplifier chip, wherein the rare-earth ion-doped waveguide amplifier is proximate to and optically coupled to the silicon photonics chip.

Rare-earth ion-doped waveguide amplifiers

Photonic integrated circuits including controllable cantilevers are described. Such photonic integrated circuits may be used in connection with other optical devices, in which light is transferred between the photonic integrated circuit and one of these optical device. The photonic integrated circuit may comprise an optical waveguide having an end disposed proximate to a facet of the cantilever. The orientation of the cantilever may be actively controlled in one or two dimensions, thus adjusting the orientation of the optical waveguide. Actuation of the cantilever may be performed, for example, thermally and/or electrostatically. Orientation of the cantilever may be performed in such a way to align the optical waveguide with an optical device.

Cantilevers with one- or two-dimensional actuation for on-chip active waveguide coupling alignment

A method and apparatus for removing free carriers from a waveguide using a p type semiconductor and an n type semiconductor connected by a short.

Shorted p-n junction

Techniques for forming a photonic device that includes a suspended photonic structure suspended over a silicon substrate are described. A sealed cavity is positioned between the silicon substrate and the photonic structure, and one or more regions of dielectric material act to seal the cavity. Additional structure(s) may be formed on top of the dielectric material.

Suspended photonic waveguides with top side sealing

An example method of forming a deterministic thin film from a crystal substrate is described herein. The method can include implanting ions into a surface of the crystal substrate to form a thin film crystal layer, and bonding the crystal substrate and a handle substrate to form a bilayer bonding interface between the crystal substrate and the handle substrate. The method can also include exfoliating the thin film crystal layer from the crystal substrate, patterning the thin film crystal layer to define a deterministic thin film, etching one or more trenches in the thin film crystal layer, etching the bilayer bonding interface via the one or more trenches, and releasing the deterministic thin film from the handle substrate.

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Edison, NJ, United States of America

Li Chen