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:
Jan. 20, 2004
Filed:
Feb. 13, 2002
Hilmi Volkan Demir, Mountain View, CA (US);
David A. B. Miller, Stanford, CA (US);
Vijit Sabnis, Menlo Park, CA (US);
The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
This invention relates to a semiconductor device and method for switching or modulating optical signals. The semiconductor device has a photodetector having a low electrical capacitance C , a detector absorbing layer for absorbing an optical signal beam, a modulator having a low capacitance C and a modulator absorbing layer exhibiting an electric field-dependent absorption coefficient. The modulator absorbing layer is used for absorbing an optical power beam, which is to be modulated or switched. The device has a low resistivity region between the photodetector and the modulator such that the electric field-dependent absorption coefficient is altered uniformly and rapidly throughout the modulator absorbing layer during absorption of the optical signal beam in the detector absorbing layer. The device is equipped with a high resistivity element in series with the low resistivity region for minimizing a net charge flow to and from the device.