Tunable waveguide devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10741999-B2
Application number	US-201815866102-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2018
Priority date	Jan 4, 2016
Publication date	Aug 11, 2020
Grant date	Aug 11, 2020

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 laser comprising:
a layer having first and second regions, the first region including a void;
a mirror section provided on the layer, the mirror section comprising:
a waveguide core, at least part of the waveguide core is provided over at least a portion of the void;
a grating;
a first cladding provided between the layer and the waveguide core, at least a portion of the first cladding being supported by the second region of the layer;
a second cladding provided on the waveguide core; and
a heat source configured to change a temperature of at least one of the waveguide core or the grating,

wherein 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.

2. The laser in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a loss incurred by the optical mode during said propagation in the mirror is less than 7 dB/cm.

3. The laser in accordance with claim 2 , wherein a loss incurred by the optical mode during said propagation in the mirror is less than 5 dB/cm.

4. The laser in accordance with claim 3 , wherein a loss incurred by the optical mode during said propagation in the mirror is less than 2.5 dB/cm.

5. The laser in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a lack of substantial loss is achieved by not having a deleterious device layer in the layer.

6. 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, and
wherein an optical mode propagating in the first mirror section or the second mirror section does not incur substantial loss due to interaction with portions of the first mirror section outside the second waveguide core or portions of the second mirror section outside the fourth waveguide core.

7. The semiconductor laser of claim 6 , wherein the 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 6 , wherein the 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 6 , wherein the 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 6 ,
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. The semiconductor device of claim 6 , wherein a portion of light associated with the optical mode is confined within part of the second waveguide core, at least part of the first mirror section constituting a shallow ridge waveguide having a lower cladding, an upper cladding, and said part of the second waveguide core, said part of the second waveguide core being provided between the upper cladding and the lower cladding.

13. The semiconductor laser of claim 12 , wherein the shallow ridge waveguide shallow ridge waveguide has a side that extends along an optical axis of the laser, the side of the shallow ridge waveguide does not extend into the second waveguide core.

14. The semiconductor device of claim 6 , wherein a portion of light associated with the optical mode is confined within at least part of the second waveguide core, at least part of the first mirror section constituting a deep-etched ridge waveguide having a lower cladding, an upper cladding, and said part of the second waveguide core, said part of the second waveguide core being provided between the upper cladding and the lower cladding.

15. The semiconductor laser of claim 14 , wherein the deep-etched ridge waveguide has a side that extends along an optical axis of the laser, the side of the deep-etched ridge waveguide extending into the second waveguide core.

16. A semiconductor laser in accordance with claim 6 , further including:
one or more support legs that include one or more portions of the layer, said one or more portions of the layer do not include said one or more voids, wherein the laser is supported over said one or more voids by said one or more portions of the layer.

17. A semiconductor laser in accordance with claim 16 , wherein said one or more support legs include a semiconductor material or a dielectric material that is deposited when part of the first mirror section is formed.

18. A semiconductor laser in accordance with claim 16 , wherein said one or more support legs include a combination of a semiconductor material and a dielectric material that is deposited when part of the first mirror section is formed.

19. A semiconductor laser in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the layer is a first layer, the semiconductor laser further comprising one or more support legs that include one or more second layers provided on the first layer, such that the semiconductor laser is supported over said one or more voids by said one or more second layers.

20. A semiconductor laser in accordance with claim 18 , wherein said one or more support legs include a semiconductor material or a dielectric material that is deposited when part of the first mirror section is formed.

21. A semiconductor laser in accordance with claim 18 , wherein said one or more support legs include a combination of a semiconductor material and a dielectric material that is deposited when part of the first mirror section is formed.

22. The semiconductor laser of claim 6 , wherein one or more of the first mirror section or the second mirror section is arranged to be orthogonal or skew to the gain section.

23. The semiconductor laser of claim 6 , wherein the layer comprises an InAlGaAs layer or an InAlAs layer.

24. The semiconductor laser of claim 6 , wherein the layer comprises a plurality of sub-layers including one or more of an InGaAs layer, an InAlAs layer, an InAlGaA

Assignees

• Infinera Corp
• Infinera Coropration

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H01S5/06256 Primary

  with DBR-structure · CPC title

• G02F1/212

  Mach-Zehnder type · CPC title

• H01S5/1017 Primary

  Waveguide having a void for insertion of materials to change optical properties · CPC title

• H01S5/22

  having a ridge or stripe structure · CPC title

• H04B10/616

  Details of the electronic signal processing in coherent optical receivers · CPC title