Tunable waveguide devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10177531-B2
Application number	US-201815866127-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2018
Priority date	Jan 4, 2016
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including a laser including a layer having first and second regions, the first region including a void; a mirror section provided on the layer, the mirror section including a waveguide core, at least part of the waveguide core is provided over at least a portion of the void; a first grating provided on the waveguide core; a first cladding layer provided between the layer and the waveguide core and supported by the second region of the layer; a second cladding layer provided on the waveguide core; and a heat source configured to change a temperature of at least one of the waveguide core and the grating, where an optical mode propagating in the waveguide core of the mirror section does not incur substantial loss due to interaction with portions of the mirror section above and below the waveguide core.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor laser, comprising:
a substrate;
a layer formed on the substrate, the layer having first and second regions, the first region of the layer including one or more voids;
a gain section provided on the layer, the gain section comprising:
a first waveguide core;
a p-type region and an n-type region that form a p-n junction; and
a contact layer configured to apply a voltage to forward bias the p-n junction of the gain section;

a first mirror section provided on the layer, the first mirror section comprising:
a second waveguide core, wherein at least part of the second waveguide core is provided over a first void;
a first grating; and
a first heat source configured to change a temperature of the second waveguide core or the first grating;

a phase section provided on the layer, the phase section comprising:
a third waveguide core; and
a second heat source configured to change a temperature of the third waveguide core;

a second mirror section, the second mirror section comprising:
a fourth waveguide core, wherein at least part of the fourth waveguide core is provided over a second void;
a second grating; and
a third heat source configured to change a temperature of the fourth waveguide core or the second grating; and

wherein the first waveguide core, the second waveguide core, the third waveguide core, and the fourth waveguide cores are configured to optically communicate with one another,
wherein either (i) an optical mode propagating in the first mirror section does not incur substantial loss due to interaction with portions of the first mirror section outside the second waveguide core, and the first mirror section has a substantially uniform thermal distribution along a propagating direction of the optical mode, or (ii) an optical mode propagating in the second mirror section does not incur substantial loss due to interaction with portions of the second mirror section outside the fourth waveguide core, and the second mirror section has a substantially uniform thermal distribution along a propagating direction of the optical mode.

2. The laser of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of support legs provided between the second waveguide core and the substrate,
wherein the first grating includes a plurality of grating bursts, such that a first location in said one of the plurality of support legs has a minimum temperature relative to a temperature at remaining second locations in said one of the plurality of support legs, the first location being misaligned relative to a center of one of the plurality of grating bursts.

3. The laser of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of support legs provided between the second waveguide core and the substrate,
wherein a first spacing between first and second successive support legs of the plurality of support legs is different from a second spacing between third and fourth successive support legs of the plurality of support legs.

4. The laser of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of support legs provided between the second waveguide core and the substrate,
wherein the first grating includes a plurality of grating bursts, the plurality of grating bursts extending over a portion of the first mirror section, such that, in the portion of the first mirror section, a support leg pitch between two successive support legs is different than a grating burst pitch between two successive grating bursts of the plurality of grating bursts.

5. The laser of claim 1 , wherein the first mirror section has a substantially uniform thermal distribution along the first mirror section such that a difference between a peak temperature of the first mirror section and an average temperature of the first mirror section is less than 10° C.

6. The laser of claim 1 , wherein the first mirror section has a substantially uniform thermal distribution along the first mirror section such that a difference between a peak temperature of the first mirror section and an average temperature of the first mirror section is less than 5° C.

7. The semiconductor laser of claim 1 , wherein an optical mode propagating in the first mirror section or the second mirror section incurs a loss that is less than 7 dB/cm.

8. The semiconductor laser of claim 1 , wherein an optical mode propagating in the first mirror section or the second mirror section incurs a loss that is less than 5 dB/cm.

9. The semiconductor laser of claim 1 , wherein an optical modal propagating in the first mirror section or the second mirror section incurs a loss that is less than 2.5 dB/cm.

10. The semiconductor laser of claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of one or more deleterious device layers does not extend into the first mirror section or the second mirror section.

11. The semiconductor laser of claim 10 , wherein a deleterious device layer of the one or more deleterious device layers includes a bandgap wavelength that is greater than an operating wavelength of the semiconductor laser.

12. A semiconductor laser, comprising:
a substrate;
a layer formed on the substrate, the layer having first and second regions, the first region of the layer including one or more voids; and
a mirror section provided on the layer, the mirror section comprising:
a waveguide core, wherein at least part of the waveguide core is provided over a first void; and
a grating;
a first cladding provided between the layer and the waveguide core, wherein at least a portion of the first cladding is provided over at least a portion of the second region of the layer;
a second cladding provided on the waveguide core;

a plurality of support legs includes one or more semiconductor resistive layers; and
a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode being coupled to at least one of the plurality of support legs, such that a current flows between the first and second electrodes and through the at least one of the plurality of support legs, such that heat generated by the current adjusts a temperature of a portion of the waveguide core.

13. A semiconductor laser in accordance with claim 12 , wherein a first portion of the current flows in a first current path, which extends through a first one of the plurality of support legs, and a second portion of the current flows in a second current path, which extends through a second one of the plurality of support legs.

14. A semiconductor laser in accordance with claim 12 , wherein the current flows along a current path that extends from a first group of the plurality of support legs to a second group of the plurality of support legs, such that the current exits the first group of the plurality of support legs and is provided to the second group of the plurality of support legs.

15. The laser of claim 12 , wherein the grating includes a plurality of grating bursts, such that a first location in said one of the plurality of support legs has a minimum temperature relative to a temperature at remaining second locations in said one of the plurality of support legs, the first location being misaligned relative to a center of one of the plurality of grating bursts.

16. The laser of claim 12 , wherein a first spacing between first and second successive support legs of the plurality of support legs is different from a second spacing between third and fourth successive support legs of the plurality of support legs.

17. The laser of claim 12 ,
wherein the grating includes a plurality of grating bursts, the plurality of grating bursts extending over a portion of the mirror section, such that, in the portion of the mirror

Assignees

• Infinera Corp

Inventors

• Evans Peter W
• Lu Mingzhi
• Kish Jr Fred A
• Lal Vikrant
• Corzine Scott
• Osenbach John W
• Yan Jin

Classifications

• H01S5/0425

  Electrodes, e.g. characterised by the structure · CPC title

• G02F2201/58

  Arrangements comprising a monitoring photodetector · CPC title

• G02F1/2257

  the optical waveguides being made of semiconducting material · CPC title

• G02F1/2255

  controlled by a high-frequency electromagnetic component in an electric waveguide structure · CPC title

• G02B2006/12121

  Laser · CPC title