Northwestern University

Other

Phosistor Technologies, Incorporated

Optonet Inc.

Electronic Photonic Ic Inc. (epic Inc.)

Seng-Tiong Ho

Yingyan Huang

Tobin Jay Marks

Yan Zhou

Fei Yi

Milko E Van Der Boom

Jing Ma

Seongsik Chang

Mee Koy Chin

Guoyang Xu

Shide Cheng

Seong-Sik Chang

Boon-Siew Ooi

Douglas M Gill

Jian P Zhang

Shengli Wu

Boyang Liu

Jian-Ping Zhang

Daniel Yen Chu

Deana Rafizadeh

Wei-Kang Lu

Yi-Guang Zhao

Feng Zhou

An electronic-integration compatible photonic integrated circuit (EIC-PIC) for achieving high-performance computing and signal processing is provided. The electronic-integration compatible photonic integrated circuit comprises a plurality of electronic circuit structures and a plurality of photonic circuit structures. The electronic and photonic circuit structures are integrated by a process referred to as monolithic integration. An electronic circuit structure includes one or more electronic devices and a photonic circuit structure includes one or more photonic devices. The integration steps of electronic and photonic devices are further inserted into standard CMOS process. The photonic circuit structures and the electronic circuit structures are integrated to form the electronic-integration compatible photonic integrated circuit device.

Electronic-integration compatible photonic integrated circuit and method for fabricating electronic-integration compatible photonic integrated circuit

Integrated active photonic device such as optical amplifiers, lasers, light emitters, photodetectors, optical modulators, optical switches, plasmonic devices, all-optical devices, and active photonic devices with high efficiency capable of very low power consumption, low optical loss, and small device size are of interest. An efficient optical waveguide structure for achieving high overlapping between the optical beam mode and the active electro-active region leads to reduced power consumption, low optical loss, and small device size. In an embodiment, low power consumption, low optical loss, and small device size are enabled by a semiconductor active photonic device structure, together with an active semiconductor material that is an electro-optic or electro-absorption or gain material, that are appropriately doped with carriers to substantially lower the power consumption and still maintain the high device performance. In another embodiment, an efficient optical coupling structure further enables low optical loss. Various embodiments combined enable the active photonic device to reach lower power consumption, lower optical loss, and smaller device size than previously possible in the prior arts.

Optical signal processing devices with high device performances

The present application discloses a system comprising a compact curved grating (CCG) and its associated compact curved grating spectrometer (COGS) or compact curved grating wavelength multiplexer/demultiplexer (WMDM) module and a method for making the same. The system is capable of achieving a very small (resolution vs. size) RS factor. The location of the entrance slit and detector can be adjusted in order to have the best performance for a particular design goal. The initial groove spacing is calculated using a prescribed formula dependent on operation wavelength. The location of the grooves is calculated based on two conditions. The first one being that the path-difference between adjacent grooves should be an integral multiple of the wavelength in the medium to achieve aberration-free grating focusing at the detector or a first anchor output slit even with large beam diffraction angle from the entrance slit or input slit, the second one being specific for a particular design goal of a curved-grating spectrometer.

Curved grating spectrometer and wavelength multiplexer or demultiplexer with very high wavelength resolution

The present application discloses a system comprising a compact curved grating (CCG) and its associated compact curved grating spectrometer (CCGS) or compact curved grating wavelength multiplexer/demultiplexer (WMDM) module and a method for making the same. The system is capable of achieving a very small (resolution vs. size) RS factor. The location of the entrance slit and detector can be adjusted in order to have the best performance for a particular design goal. The initial groove spacing is calculated using a prescribed formula dependent on operation wavelength. The location of the grooves is calculated based on two conditions. The first one being that the path-difference between adjacent grooves should be an integral multiple of the wavelength in the medium to achieve aberration-free grating focusing at the detector or a first anchor output slit even with large beam diffraction angle from the entrance slit or input slit, the second one being specific for a particular design goal of a curved-grating spectrometer.

Electro-optic (EO) modulator and related device structures which can be used in conjunction with high EO materials to lower switching voltage and improve related performance parameters.

Organic electro-optic modulators with transparent conducting electrodes and related device structures

An apparatus for passive alignment of optical devices comprises a substrate including a trench in a top surface thereof, where the trench has a first end positioned at an edge of the substrate and a second end positioned at an interior region of the substrate, and a lens disposed on the top surface of the substrate adjacent to the second end of the trench. The apparatus further includes a top holder having a longitudinal indentation in a bottom surface thereof for mounting an optical fiber. The longitudinal indentation is sized to fit a top portion of the optical fiber such that a bottom portion of the optical fiber extends below the bottom surface of the top holder when the optical fiber is mounted therein. One or both of the substrate and the top holder include one or more spacer features configured for three-dimensional (3D) alignment of the lens with the optical fiber when the top holder is brought into contact with the substrate.

Apparatus and method for passive alignment of optical devices

The present application discloses a system comprising a compact curved grating (CCG) and its associated compact curved grating spectrometer (CCGS) or compact curved grating wavelength multiplexer/demultiplexer (WMDM) module and a method for making the same. The system is capable of achieving a very small (resolution vs. size) RS factor. In the invention, the location of the entrance slit and detector can be adjusted in order to have the best performance for a particular design goal. The initial groove spacing is calculated using a prescribed formula dependent on operation wavelength. The location of the grooves is calculated based on two conditions. The first one being that the path-difference between adjacent grooves should be an integral multiple of the wavelength in the medium to achieve aberration-free grating focusing at the detector or output slit (or output waveguide) even with large beam diffraction angle from the entrance slit or input slit (or input waveguide). The second one being specific for a particular design goal of a curved-grating spectrometer. In an embodiment, elliptical mirrors each with focal points at the slit and detector are used for each groove to obtain aberration-free curved mirrors.

An electric field detection device. In one embodiment, the electric field detection device includes an interferometer having a reference arm and an active arm. The reference arm comprises a first electro-optic waveguide. The active arm comprises a first electrically conductive plate, a second electrically conductive plate spaced apart from the first electrically conductive plate defining a first gap therebetween, a third electrically conductive plate disposed in the first gap and vertically extending from the first electrically conductive plate to define a T-shape structure and a second gap between the third electrically conductive plate and the second electrically conductive plate, where the second gap is substantially smaller than the first gap; and a second electro-optic waveguide disposed in the second gap and being in electrical communication with the second and third electrically conductive plates.

Ultra-sensitive electric field detection device

An apparatus for coupling light between input and output waveguides includes a substrate, an input waveguide disposed on the substrate and comprising a first optical axis, and an output waveguide disposed on the substrate and comprising a second optical axis vertically offset from the first optical axis. A superlens is disposed on the substrate between the input waveguide and the output waveguide. The superlens has a middle optical axis and comprises a vertically graded refractive index film having a refractive index distribution n(y), where y is a vertical direction substantially perpendicular to the middle optical axis.

Apparatus for coupling light between input and output waveguides

An optical tip for a Near-field Scanning Optical Microscope (NSOM) is provided. The optical tip includes a waveguide with a semiconductor or metal core and a cladding. The refractive-index-square-ratio contrast between the core and the cladding is at least 0.3. The optical tip may also include a light detector and a light source. The waveguide, the light source and the light detector may be integrated to form a single chip.

Integrated high index contrast sub-wavelength optical transforming tip (HICSWOTT) for near-field scanning optical microscope

New electro-optic (EO) phase modulator devices and geometries, as can be constructed using a transparent conductive component.

Growing community of inventors

Wheeling, IL, United States of America

Seng-Tiong Ho