System and method for programmable nonlinear silicon photonic circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11187963-B2
Application number	US-202016775746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2020
Priority date	Jan 30, 2019
Publication date	Nov 30, 2021
Grant date	Nov 30, 2021

Abstract

According to various embodiments, an all-optical thresholder device is disclosed. The all-optical thresholder device includes a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) coupled to a Mach-Zehnder coupler (MZC). The MZI includes at least one microring resonator (MRR) and a first tunable element, where the MRR further includes a second tunable element. The MZC includes a third tunable element. The first, second, and third tunable elements are configured to control biases of the all-optical thresholder device to achieve a desired power transfer function.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An all-optical thresholder device, comprising:
a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) coupled to a Mach-Zehnder coupler (MZC);
the MZI comprising at least one microring resonator (MRR) and a first tunable element, the MRR further comprising a second tunable element;
the MZC comprising a third tunable element;
the first, second, and third tunable elements configured to control biases of the all-optical thresholder device to achieve a desired power transfer function.

2. The all-optical thresholder device of claim 1 , further comprising an input coupled to the MZC and an output coupled to the MZI.

3. The all-optical thresholder device of claim 1 , wherein the first, second, and third tunable elements each comprise one of a microheater, an electro-optical system, and a micro-electro-mechanical system.

4. The all-optical thresholder device of claim 1 , wherein the first, second, and third tunable elements are controlled by an automated control system.

5. The all-optical thresholder device of claim 1 , wherein the MRR is included in one of two arms of the MZI.

6. The all-optical thresholder device of claim 5 , wherein a second MRR is included in the other of the two arms of the MZI.

7. The all-optical thresholder device of claim 1 , wherein the third tunable element is configured to adjust a bias of the MZC to balance amplitudes of two arms of the MZI.

8. The all-optical thresholder device of claim 1 , wherein the first tunable element is configured to adjust a bias of the MZI to introduce about a π phase difference.

9. The all-optical thresholder device of claim 1 , wherein the second tunable element is configured to adjust a bias of the MRR such that the all-optical thresholder device is functioning at about a resonance wavelength.

10. The all-optical thresholder device of claim 1 , wherein the MZI and MZC are implemented on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform.

11. The all-optical thresholder device of claim 1 , wherein the power transfer function is determined based on one or more nonlinear effects.

12. The all-optical thresholder device of claim 11 , wherein the non-linear effects comprise one or more of a Kerr effect, two-photon absorption (TPA), TPA induced free-carrier absorption (FCA), and free-carrier dispersion (FCD).

13. The all-optical thresholder device of claim 1 , wherein the first, second, and third tunable elements are controlled to maximize a slope of the power transfer function.

14. An all-optical device, comprising:
a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) coupled to a Mach-Zehnder coupler (MZC);
the MZI comprising at least one microring resonator (MRR) and a first tunable element, the MRR further comprising a second tunable element;
the MZC comprising a third tunable element;
the first, second, and third tunable elements configured to control biases of the all-optical device to achieve a desired power transfer function.

15. The all-optical device of claim 14 , further comprising an input coupled to the MZC and an output coupled to the MZI.

16. The all-optical device of claim 14 , wherein the first, second, and third tunable elements each comprise one of a microheater, an electro-optical system, and a micro-electro-mechanical system.

17. The all-optical device of claim 14 , wherein the first, second, and third tunable elements are controlled by an automated control system.

18. The all-optical device of claim 14 , wherein the MRR is included in one of two arms of the MZI.

19. The all-optical device of claim 18 , wherein a second MRR is included in the other of the two arms of the MZI.

20. The all-optical device of claim 14 , wherein the third tunable element is configured to adjust a bias of the MZC to balance amplitudes of the two arms of the MZI.

21. The all-optical device of claim 14 , wherein the first tunable element is configured to adjust a bias of the MZI to introduce a desired phase difference.

22. The all-optical device of claim 14 , wherein the second tunable element is configured to adjust a bias of the MRR such that the all-optical device is functioning near a resonance wavelength.

23. The all-optical device of claim 14 , wherein the MZI and MZC are implemented on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform.

24. The all-optical device of claim 14 , wherein the power transfer function is determined based on one or more nonlinear effects.

25. The all-optical device of claim 24 , wherein the nonlinear effects comprise one or more of a Kerr effect, two-photon absorption (TPA), TPA induced free-carrier absorption (FCA), and free-carrier dispersion (FCD).

26. The all-optical device of claim 14 , wherein the first, second, and third tunable elements are controlled to optimize the power transfer function.

27. The all-optical device of claim 14 , wherein the first, second, and third tunable elements are controlled to convert a long-pulse signal into a short-pulse signal.

28. A method for operating an all-optical device, the all-optical device including a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) coupled to a Mach-Zehnder coupler (MZC), the MZI including a first tunable element and at least one microring resonator (MRR) having a second tunable element, the MZC having a third tunable element, the method comprising:
controlling the first tunable element to adjust a bias of the MZI to introduce a desired phase difference;
controlling the second tunable element to adjust a bias of the MRR such that the all-optical device is functioning at about a resonance wavelength; and
controlling the third tunable element to adjust a bias of the MZC to balance amplitudes of two arms of the MZI;
the biases of the MZI, MRR, and MZC being controlled to achieve a desired power transfer function.

29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the first, second, and third tunable elements each comprise one of a microheater, an electro-optical system, and a micro-electro-mechanical system.

30. The method of claim 28 , further comprising controlling the first, second, and third tunable elements by an automated control system.

31. The method of claim 28 , wherein the MZI and MZC are implemented on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform.

Assignees

• Univ Princeton

Inventors

• Huang Chaoran
• De Lima Thomas Ferreira
• Tait Alexander
• Abbaslou Siamak
• Jha Aashu
• Shastri Bhavin
• Prucnal Paul R
• Nahmias Mitchell A
• Peng Hsuan-Tung

Classifications

• G02F1/365

  in an optical waveguide structure (G02F1/377, {G02F1/395} take precedence) · CPC title

• G02F1/3517 Primary

  using an interferometer · CPC title

• G02F1/225 Primary

  in an optical waveguide structure · CPC title

• G02F2203/15

  involving resonance effects, e.g. resonantly enhanced interaction · CPC title

• G02F1/0123

  Circuits for the control or stabilisation of the bias voltage, e.g. automatic bias control [ABC] feedback loops · CPC title