Carrier-effect based optical switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10353267-B2
Application number	US-201615395570-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2016
Priority date	Dec 30, 2016
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

A carrier-effect based optical switch, a method of operating the carrier-effect based switch, and a controller module for controlling a carrier-effect based optical switch are provided. The carrier-effect based optical switch comprises input and output optical couplers, first and second optical waveguide arms each connecting the input optical coupler to the output optical coupler, a first junction diode proximate to the first optical waveguide arm for providing a first optical phase delay thereto due to at least a carrier-based effect, and a first resistive heater proximate to the second optical waveguide arm for providing a second optical phase delay thereto due to a thermo-optic effect. The method comprises applying a first electrical power to the first junction diode for providing a first optical phase delay thereto due to at least a carrier-based effect, and applying a second electrical power to the first resistive heater for providing a second optical phase delay thereto due to at least a carrier-based effect. The controller module comprises code which, when executed on a computing device, causes the controller module to perform the method.

First claim

We claim:

1. A carrier-effect based optical switch comprising:
input and output optical couplers;
first and second optical waveguide arms each connecting the input optical coupler to the output optical coupler;
a first junction diode proximate to the first optical waveguide arm for providing a first optical phase delay thereto due to at least a carrier-based effect; and
a first resistive heater proximate to the second optical waveguide arm for providing a second optical phase delay thereto due to a thermo-optic effect,
wherein the first optical phase delay comprises a thermo-optic portion due to the thermo-optic effect and a carrier-based portion due to the carrier-based effect, and wherein the optical switch is configured to dynamically adjust power applied to the first resistive heater relative to power applied to the first junction diode in order to cause the second optical phase delay to approximately match the thermo-optic portion of the first optical phase delay.

2. A carrier-effect based optical switch comprising:
input and output optical couplers;
first and second optical waveguide arms each connecting the input optical coupler to the output optical coupler;
a first junction diode proximate to the first optical waveguide arm for providing a first optical phase delay thereto due to at least a carrier-based effect; and
a first resistive heater proximate to the second optical waveguide arm for providing a second optical phase delay thereto due to a thermo-optic effect,
wherein the first optical phase delay comprises a thermo-optic portion due to the thermo-optic effect and a carrier-based portion due to the carrier-based effect, and wherein the first resistive heater is configured to provide the second phase delay so as to at least partially offset the thermo-optic portion of the first optical phase delay, and wherein the first resistive heater is electrically connected in series with the first junction diode.

3. The carrier-effect based optical switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first junction diode and the first resistive heater comprise individual electrical inputs, the carrier-effect based optical switch further comprising electronic circuitry for independently applying electrical power to the first junction diode and the first resistive heater via the corresponding individual electrical inputs thereof, such that a temperature variation of the first waveguide arm caused by the first junction diode is at least partially offset by a temperature variation of the second waveguide arm caused by the first resistive heater.

4. The carrier-effect based optical switch as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a second junction diode proximate to the second optical waveguide arm for providing a third optical phase delay thereto due to at least a carrier-based effect; and
a second resistive heater proximate to the first optical waveguide arm for providing a fourth optical phase delay thereto due to a thermo-optic effect.

5. The carrier-effect based optical switch as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the third optical phase delay comprises a thermo-optic portion due to the thermo-optic effect and a carrier-based portion due to the carrier-based effect, and wherein the optical switch is further configured to dynamically adjust power applied to the second resistive heater relative to power applied to the second junction diode in order to cause the fourth optical phase delay to approximately match the thermo-optic portion of the third optical phase delay.

6. The carrier-effect based optical switch as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising:
a second junction diode proximate to the second optical waveguide arm for providing a third optical phase delay thereto due to at least a carrier-based effect; and
a second resistive heater proximate to the first optical waveguide arm for providing a fourth optical phase delay thereto due to a thermo-optic effect,
wherein the second resistive heater is electrically connected in series with the second junction diode.

7. The carrier-effect based optical switch as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the second junction diode and the second resistive heater comprise individual electrical inputs, the carrier-effect based optical switch further comprising electronic circuitry configured for independently applying electrical power to the second junction diode and the second resistive heater via the corresponding individual electrical inputs thereof, such that a temperature variation of the second waveguide arm caused by the second junction diode is at least partially offset by a temperature variation of the first waveguide arm caused by the second resistive heater.

8. A method of operating a carrier-effect based optical switch, the method comprising:
applying a first electrical power to a first junction diode disposed proximate to a first optical waveguide arm of the carrier-effect based optical switch for providing a first optical phase delay thereto due to at least a carrier-based effect; and
applying a second electrical power to a first resistive heater disposed proximate to a second optical waveguide arm of the carrier-effect based optical switch for providing a second optical phase delay thereto due to a thermo-optic effect,
wherein the first optical phase delay comprises a thermo-optic portion due to the thermo-optic effect and a carrier-based portion due to the carrier-based effect, and wherein the method further comprises dynamically adjusting the second electrical power relative to the first electrical power in order to to cause the second optical phase delay to approximately match the thermo-optic portion of the first optical phase delay.

9. A method of operating a carrier-effect based optical switch, the method comprising:
applying a first electrical power to a first junction diode disposed proximate to a first optical waveguide arm of the carrier-effect based optical switch for providing a first optical phase delay thereto due to at least a carrier-based effect; and
applying a second electrical power to a first resistive heater disposed proximate to a second optical waveguide arm of the carrier-effect based optical switch for providing a second optical phase delay thereto due to a thermo-optic effect,
the method further comprising electrically connecting the first resistive heater in series with the first junction diode, and applying a common electrical current to the first junction diode and the first resistive heater.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising independently applying electrical power to the first junction diode and the first resistive heater such that a temperature variation of the first waveguide arm caused by the first junction diode is at least partially offset by a temperature variation of the second waveguide arm caused by the first resistive heater.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising:
applying a third electrical power to a second junction diode disposed proximate to the second optical waveguide arm for providing a third optical phase delay thereto due to at least a carrier-based effect; and
applying a fourth electrical power to a second resistive heater disposed proximate to the first optical waveguide arm for providing a fourth optical phase delay thereto due to a thermo-optic effect.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:
applying a third electrical power to a second junction diode disposed proximate to the second optical waveguide arm for providing a third optical phase delay thereto due to at least a carrier-based effect;
applying a fourth electrical power to a second resistive heater disposed proximate to the first optical waveguide arm

Assignees

• Celo Dritan
• Goodwill Dominic John
• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Celo Dritan
• Goodwill Dominic John

Classifications

• G02F2202/10

  semiconductor · CPC title

• G02F1/2257

  the optical waveguides being made of semiconducting material · CPC title

• G02F1/3133

  the optical waveguides being made of semiconducting materials · CPC title

• G02F1/225

  in an optical waveguide structure · CPC title

• G02F2203/50

  Phase-only modulation · CPC title