Marvell Asia Pte., Ltd.

Emcore Corporation

Inphi Corporation

Neophotonics Corporation

Encore Corporation

Xiaoguang He

Radhakrishnan L Nagarajan

Henry A Blauvelt

Kerry J Vahala

Andrew J Daiber

Brian Taylor

Martin Kwakernaak

Dustin Huynh

Ruby Zendejaz

A laser device based on silicon photonics with in-cavity power monitor includes a gain chip, a reflector, and a photodiode. The gain chip is mounted on a silicon photonics substrate and is configured to emit light from an active region bounded between a frontend facet and a backend facet. The reflector is configured to reflect the light in a cavity formed between the reflector and the frontend facet through which a laser light is output. The photodiode is coupled to one or more waveguides in the cavity by a splitter disposed directly in an optical path between the reflector and a component positioned in the cavity. The photodiode is configured to measure power of light propagating through the cavity between the reflector and the component.

Power monitor for silicon-photonics-based laser

A semiconductor optical amplifier for high-power operation includes a gain medium having a multilayer structure sequentially laid with a P-layer, an active layer, a N-layer from an upper portion to a lower portion in cross-section thereof. The gain medium is extendedly laid with a length L from a front facet to a back facet. The active layer includes multiple well layers formed by undoped semiconductor material and multiple barrier layers formed by n-doped semiconductor materials. Each well layer is sandwiched by a pair of barrier layers. The front facet is characterized by a first reflectance Rf and the back facet is characterized by a second reflectance Rb. The gain medium has a mirror loss αabout 40-200 cmgiven by: α=(½L)ln{1/(Rf×Rb)}.

Silicon-photonics-based semiconductor optical amplifier with N-doped active layer

A laser chip for flip-chip bonding on a silicon photonics chip with passive alignment features. The laser chip includes a chip body made of a p-region and a n-region in vertical direction and extended from a front facet to a rear facet in longitudinal direction, a pair of first vertical stoppers formed respectively beyond two sides of the chip body based on a wider width of the n-region, an active region buried in the chip body between the p-region and the n-region in the vertical direction and extended from the front facet to the rear facet in the longitudinal direction, an alignment mark formed on a top surface of the p-region near the front facet with a lateral distance defined in sub-micron precision relative to the active region; and a thin metal film on the surface of the p-region having a cleaved edge shared with the front facet.

Laser chip for flip-chip bonding on silicon photonics chips

A laser device based on silicon photonics with an in-cavity power monitor includes a gain chip mounted on a silicon photonics substrate and configured to emit light in an active region bounded between a frontend facet with low reflectivity and a backend facet with anti-reflective characteristics. The laser device further includes a wavelength tuner formed with waveguides in the silicon photonics substrate optically coupled to the backend facet to receive light from the gain chip and configured to have a reflector with high reflectivity to reflect the light in an extended cavity formed with the frontend facet through which a laser with a tuned wavelength and amplified power is outputted. Additionally, the laser device includes a photodiode formed in the silicon photonics substrate and coupled to the waveguides in the extended cavity right in front of the reflector to measure power of light thereof.

A method for improving wide-band wavelength-tunable laser. The method includes configuring a gain region between a first facet and a second facet and crosswise a PN-junction with an active layer between P-type cladding layer and N-type cladding layer. The method further includes coupling a light excited in the active layer and partially reflected from the second facet to pass through the first facet to a wavelength tuner configured to generate a joint interference spectrum with multiple modes separated by a joint-free-spectral-range (JFSR). Additionally, the method includes configuring the second facet to have reduced reflectivity for increasing wavelengths. Furthermore, the method includes reconfiguring the gain chip with an absorption layer near the active layer to induce a gain loss for wavelengths shorter than a longest wavelength associated with a short-wavelength side mode. Moreover, the method includes outputting amplified light at a basic mode via the second facet.

Side mode suppression for extended c-band tunable laser

A photonics device includes a silicon wafer including a cathode region, an anode region, a trench region formed between the cathode region and the anode region, and a linear ridge formed between the cathode region and the anode region. A laser diode chip is mounted on the silicon wafer. A conductor layer disposed between the silicon wafer and the laser diode chip includes a first section disposed between the laser diode chip and the cathode region on a first side of the trench to electrically connect the laser diode chip to a cathode electrode of the photonics device and a second section disposed between the anode region and the laser diode chip on a second side of the trench to electrically connect the laser diode chip to an anode electrode of the photonics device.

Silicon photonics light source

A thin-film device for a wavelength-tunable semiconductor laser. The device includes a cavity between a high-reflectivity facet and an anti-reflection facet designed to emit a laser light of a wavelength in a tunable range determined by two Vernier-ring resonators with a joint-free-spectral-range between a first wavelength and a second wavelength. The device further includes a film including multiple pairs of a first layer and a second layer sequentially stacking to an outer side of the high-reflectivity facet. Each layer in each pair has one unit of respective optical thickness except one first or second layer in one pair having a larger optical thickness. The film is configured to produce inner reflectivity of the laser light from the high-reflectivity facet at least &#x3e;90% for wavelengths in the tunable range starting from the first wavelength but at least &#x3c;50% for wavelengths in a 25 nm range around the second wavelength.

Thin-film filter for tunable laser

A photonics device includes a silicon wafer including an upper surface region, a trench region, and a ridge structure. The ridge structure electrically isolates the upper surface region from the trench region. A laser diode chip flip-bonded onto the silicon wafer includes an electrode region bonded with the upper surface region, a gain region bonded with the trench region, and an isolation region bonded with the ridge structure. The isolation region electrically isolates the gain region from the electrode region. A conductor layer arranged between the silicon wafer and the laser diode chip includes a first section electrically connecting the gain region to a first electrode of the photonics device and a second section configured to electrically connect the electrode region to a second electrode of the photonics device. The first section is electrically isolated from the second section by the isolation region.

Light source for integrated silicon photonics

A light source based on integrated silicon photonics includes a die of a silicon substrate having at least one chip site configured with a surface region, a trench region, and a first stopper region located separately between the surface region and the trench region. The trench region is configured to be a depth lower than the surface region. The light source includes a laser diode chip having a p-side facing the chip site and a n-side being distal to the chip site. The p-side includes a gain region bonded to the trench region, an electrode region bonded to the surface region, and an isolation region engaged with the stopper region to isolate the gain region from the electrode region. The light source also includes a conductor layer in the die configured to connect the gain region to an anode electrode and separately connect the electrode region to a cathode electrode.

A semiconductor device comprises a device substrate and a metal film, with first and second non-recessed areal regions separated by a recessed areal region. The metal film covers contiguously the recessed and non-recessed areal regions and transition surfaces joining them. A first transition surface includes metallized portions over which (i) the first transition surface is not parallel to the other transition surface, (ii) the first transition surface is inclined relative to the device substrate, and (iii) the metal film on the first transition surface is contiguous with adjacent metal film portions on the recessed and non-recessed areal regions. A portion of an optoelectronic device surface running parallel to an optical waveguide of the device can be left exposed by a metal film on the device. Light propagating transversely out of the waveguide through the exposed portion can be detected, measured, or imaged for non-destructive device characterization or testing.

Electrically conductive metal film for a semiconductor device

A modulated semiconductor laser source includes a waveguide on a semiconductor substrate; first and second reflectors; a laser electrode; an optical modulator; and a laser-electrode electrical circuit. The reflectors and a resonator segment of the waveguide define a laser resonator with laser output transmitted through the second reflector. The laser electrode is positioned over the resonator segment and a laser current flows through the laser electrode into the resonator segment to produce optical gain. The modulator receives and modulates the laser output, in response to a primary modulation signal, to produce a modulated output optical signal. The laser-electrode circuit is coupled to the laser electrode and derives from the primary modulation signal a laser-electrode secondary modulation current, optimized to reduce chirp in the modulated output signal, that flows through the laser electrode into or out of the resonator segment in addition to the laser current.

Modulated laser source and methods of its fabrication and operation

A semiconductor device comprising a substrate; a monolithic gain region disposed on the substrate and operable to produce optical gain in response to current injection, including a first electrode over a first portion of the gain region having a first length L, with a first current Ibeing applied; and a second electrode over a second portion of the gain region having a second length L, with a second current Ibeing applied; wherein I/Lis greater than I/L.

Method of fabricating and operating an optical modulator

A method of making an optical modulator by determining the material composition of the quantum well region in the waveguide portion of the modulator so that the modulator is transparent at a gain peak wavelength that is greater than the predetermined wavelength by a predetermined amount, and fabricating the modulator with the determined material composition.

An optical modulator including an information-containing radio frequency signal input; a semiconductor device having an optical input optically for receiving the coherent light beam, and a electrode connected to said radio frequency signal input and having a modulated bias potential so that current is generated in the second semiconductor device and extracted therefrom, while the coherent light beam is optically modulated by the signal changing the carrier density in the semiconductor device.

Optical modulator

A tunable laser transmitter configured in a small package subassembly coupled to a printed circuit board such as an ITLA assembly. The tunable laser transmitter includes a housing with a volume formed by exterior walls. An electrical input interface is positioned at the first end of the housing. An optical output interface is positioned at the second end of the housing and configured to transmit a modulated optical beam.

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Diamond Bar, CA, United States of America

Xiaoguang He