Xponent Photonics Inc

Hoya Corporation USA

Other

Peter C Sercel

Kerry J Vahala

David W Vernooy

Rolf Andreas Wyss

Joel S Paslaski

Oskar Jon Painter

Guido Hunziker

Araceli Ruiz

Toshiaki Sonehara

Albert Michael Benzoni

Robert B Lee

David S Alavi

Ming Cai

A multi-channel or bidirectional optoelectronic device comprises a two or more optoelectronic components, e.g., a photodetector and a light source. A protective encapsulant can be applied to the optoelectronic device that includes hollow dielectric microspheres to reduce electrical cross-talk, and that can further include an optical absorber to reduce optical cross-talk.

Cross-talk reduction in a bidirectional optoelectronic device

An optical apparatus comprises: source, primary, and secondary waveguides formed in waveguide layers on a substrate; a light source; and an optical waveguide tap. The light source launches a source optical signal along the source waveguide. The tap divides the source optical signal into a primary optical signal in the primary waveguide and a secondary optical signal in the secondary waveguide. The secondary optical signal emerges from the secondary waveguide to exit the waveguide layers at the substrate edge or to propagate within the waveguide layers as a stray optical signal without confinement by any waveguide. The stray optical signal propagates thusly unconfined into the open mouth of an optical trap that comprises one or more lateral surfaces formed in the waveguide layers and an opaque coating on the lateral surfaces, and comprises a spiral region of the optical waveguide layers with an open mouth and closed end.

Optical waveguide splitter on a waveguide substrate for attenuating a light source

An optical submount has a circumscribed 4-faced depression on its bottom surface and a 3-faced depression at an edge of its bottom surface. An optical signal is transmitted through a face of the 3-faced depression and internally reflected from a face of the 4-faced depression. A set of additional depressions and intervening areas on the submount bottom surface act as an alignment mark.

Submount for optoelectronic, optical, or photonic components

A bidirectional optoelectronic device comprises a photodetector, a light source, and a drive circuit for the light source. The light source has first and second electrical leads for receiving an input electrical signal, and the drive circuit can be arranged to apply first and second portions of the input electrical signal to the first and second electrical leads, respectively, wherein the second portion of the input electrical signal is a scaled, inverted substantial replica of the first portion of the input electrical signal. A protective encapsulant can be applied that includes hollow dielectric microspheres to reduce electrical cross-talk, and that can further include an optical absorber to reduce optical cross-talk. A waveguide substrate of the device can include light collector(s) or trap(s) for redirecting and attenuating portions of optical signals propagating in waveguide layers on the substrate but not guided by a waveguide.

A segment of optical fiber is engaged with a fiber groove on a device substrate, which positions the fiber segment for optical coupling with an optical component on the substrate. A fiber retainer maintains the fiber segment in engagement with the groove. The fiber retainer may be secured to the substrate with adhesive means. The adhesive means forms at least one retaining member that at least partially fills at least one recessed region formed on the device substrate or on the fiber retainer. That recessed region is spatially separate from the fiber groove and from an area of the fiber retainer engaged with the fiber.

Packaging for a fiber-coupled optical device

An optical device assembly comprises a substrate with a component and fiber groove thereon. A segment of optical fiber is engaged with the fiber groove, which positions the fiber segment for optical coupling with a component on the substrate. A fiber retainer maintains the fiber segment in engagement with the groove. The fiber retainer may be secured to the substrate with adhesive means. Recessed regions formed on the substrate/retainer are filled with adhesive means, forming retaining members. Alternatively, the fiber retainer comprises a resilient member engaged with the device substrate and biased so as to urge the fiber segment into the groove. The resilient member may be variously configured and/or adapted for enhancing engagement of the fiber segment with the fiber groove. Either embodiment may include a housing, which may be variously configured and/or adapted for engaging a mating fiber-optic connector, providing fiber pigtail(s), mechanical splicing, and so forth.

A resonant optical modulator comprises a transmission fiber-optic waveguide, a circumferential-mode optical resonator transverse-coupled thereto, a modulator optical component transverse-coupled to the circumferential-mode resonator, and a modulator control component. A control signal applied to the modulator optical component through the modulator control component alters the round-trip optical loss of the circumferential-mode resonator, thereby altering the transmission of a resonant optical signal through the transmission fiber-optic waveguide. The modulator optical element may comprise an open waveguide or a closed waveguide (i.e., resonator). The resonator round-trip optical loss may be altered by altering the optical absorption/scattering of the modulator optical component, by altering the amount of optical power transfer between the resonator and the modulator optical component, or by altering an optical resonance frequency of a resonant modulator optical component.

Resonant optical modulators

An optical signal may be received into orthogonal linearly polarized modes of a transmission optical waveguide, the transmission waveguide including first and second transverse-coupling segments thereof. Optical signal polarized along one polarization direction may be substantially completely transferred from the transmission waveguide into a first transverse-coupled waveguide, the first transverse-coupled waveguide being optically transverse-coupled to the first transverse-coupling segment of the transmission waveguide. Optical signal polarized along the other polarization direction may be substantially completely transferred from the transmission waveguide into a second transverse-coupled waveguide, the second transverse-coupled waveguide being optically transverse-coupled to the second transverse-coupling segment of the transmission waveguide. The optical signals carried by the first and second transverse-coupled waveguides may be combined into a single waveguide. The polarization directions of the transmission waveguide may be rotated about 90&#xb0; between the first and second transverse-coupling segments.

Polarization-engineered transverse-optical-coupling apparatus and methods

A fiber-ring optical resonator comprises a transverse segment of an optical fiber differing from adjacent segments in at least one physical property (e.g., diameter, density, refractive index, chemical composition, etc) so that it may support a resonant circumferential optical mode and enable evanescent optical coupling between the circumferential mode and an optical mode of a second optical element. The resonator may be fabricated with alignment structure(s) for enabling passive alignment of the second optical element for evanescent coupling, and/or with structure for suppressing undesired modes and/or resonances. A fiber-ring resonator may form a portion of a resonant optical filter or modulator. A plurality of optically-coupled fiber-ring resonators (formed on one or more fibers) may provide tailored spectral properties. Spatially-selective techniques for forming a fiber-ring resonator may include masking/etching, masking/deposition, laser machining, laser patterning, combinations thereof, and/or functional equivalents thereof.

Fiber-ring optical resonators

An alignment device includes an alignment member with one or more waveguide-alignment grooves, resonator alignment grooves, and/or an alignment groove for a second optical element such as a modulator. The various alignment grooves reliably establish and stably maintain evanescent optical coupling between the optical elements positioned therein. A method for assembling a resonant optical power control device may include: fabricating an alignment member with the alignment grooves; positioning and securing the optical elements in corresponding alignment grooves for optical coupling therebetween. Alignment grooves in the substrate and/or in one or more of the optical elements are fabricated at proper depths and positions and preferably with mating grooves and/or flanges to enable optical coupling without extensive active alignment procedures.

Resonant optical power control device assemblies

A method for cylindrical processing of an optical medium, including optical fiber and optical materials of substantially cylindrical form. The method of the preferred embodiments includes the steps of rotating an optical medium about a longitudinal relative rotation axis thereof relative to a processing tool; spatially selectively applying the processing tool to a portion of a surface of the optical medium in operative cooperation with relative rotation of the optical medium and the processing tool, thereby producing a patterned (i.e., spatially selective) structural alteration of the optical medium, the pattern including altered, differentially-altered and unaltered portions of the optical medium. Specialized techniques for spatially selectively generating the structural alteration may include masking/etching, masking/deposition, machining or patterning with lasers or beams, combinations thereof, and/or functional equivalents thereof.

Cylindrical processing of optical media

A resonant optical filter includes first and second transmission waveguides and a resonator (including one or more evanescently coupled resonator segments). The resonator supports at least one circumferential resonant mode and is evanescently coupled to the waveguides. An optical signal entering the filter through a waveguide and substantially resonant with the resonator is transferred to the other waveguide, while an optical signal entering the filter and substantially non-resonant with the resonator remains in the same waveguide. Multiple resonator segments may be formed on a common resonator fiber and positioned for enabling coupling between them, resulting in a tailored frequency filter function. The resonators may include alignment structure(s) (flanges, grooves, etc) for enabling passive positioning and/or supporting first and second transmission waveguides, such as optical fiber tapers. Structures may also be provided for suppressing undesired optical modes and/or resonances associated with the resonators and/or alignment structures on the resonator fiber.

Resonant optical filters

The present invention is a micro-cavity laser and methods related thereto. In the preferred embodiments, the micro-cavity laser comprises a laser pump signal in a fiber waveguide which is optically coupled to a micro-cavity resonator through a fiber taper. The micro-resonator includes a gain medium necessary for lasing action. The lasing frequency can be determined based upon the gain medium, the micro-cavity structure, as well as frequency selective elements such as gratings incorporated into the micro-cavity. The tapered fiber waveguide permits the micro-cavity laser to operate without a break in the fiber waveguide. In the preferred embodiments, the micro-cavity resonator is constructed from a doped silica or a semiconductor material. The present invention provides a compact laser with improved emissions and coupling efficiencies. Alternative configurations include multiple micro-cavities on a single fiber waveguide and/or utilizing multiple waveguides attached to one or more micro-cavity resonators. The laser can be made to operate in a continuous-wave as opposed to self-pulsing mode.

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Pasadena, CA, United States of America

Peter C Sercel