The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 29, 1998
Filed:
May. 29, 1997
Halvor Skeie, San Jose, CA (US);
Crystal Technology, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
A plurality of optic modulators implemented using segmented electrodes and nonparallel waveguide structures are cascaded using optical couplers to provide a linearization of the overall electro-optic transfer function. Each of the optical modulators which are coupled in cascade have an electrode structure which is divided into a plurality of relatively small segments. The segments are connected via bond wires and transmission lines on an adjoining microwave circuit board. Each of the optical modulators includes a pair of waveguides which are sloped so as to result in a nonparallel waveguide structure which reduces acoustic effects, e.g., ripple. By using a plurality of small segments to implement the electrode structure a high degree of sensitivity is achieved as compared to when a single lengthy electrode structure is used. The combination of the non-parallel waveguides and a segmented electrode provides for a relatively large flat frequency response, e.g., in excess of 1 GHz. The electrode structure is also designed to minimize the effective capacitance of the electrode structure to thereby broaden the bandwidth of the optic modulator of the present invention as compared to devices using solid center electrodes.