Low loss high efficiency photonic phase shifter with dielectric electrodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11953729-B2
Application number	US-202318106220-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2023
Priority date	Jan 29, 2020
Publication date	Apr 9, 2024
Grant date	Apr 9, 2024

Abstract

Photonic devices are disclosed including a first cladding layer, a first electrical contact comprising a first lead coupled to a first dielectric portion, a second electrical contact comprising a second lead coupled to a second dielectric portion, a waveguide structure comprising a slab layer comprising a first material, and a second cladding layer. The slab layer may be coupled to the first dielectric portion of the first electrical contact and the second dielectric portion of the second electrical contact. The first dielectric portion and the second dielectric portion may have a dielectric constant greater than a dielectric constant of the first material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a first dielectric electrode;
a second dielectric electrode that is separated from the first dielectric electrode by a gap;
a waveguide structure electrically connected to the first dielectric electrode and the second dielectric electrode,
the first dielectric electrode and the second dielectric electrode being controllable to apply an electric field within the waveguide structure,
the waveguide structure comprising a material having a first dielectric constant in a direction,
the first dielectric electrode and the second dielectric electrode comprising a second dielectric constant in the direction that is greater than the first dielectric constant in the direction, and
the first dielectric electrode and the second dielectric electrode being separated along the direction.

2. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the first and second dielectric electrodes and the waveguide structure are disposed within a single layer comprising a first width,
wherein the waveguide structure is disposed between the first and second dielectric electrodes within the single layer.

3. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the first dielectric electrode comprises a first ridge portion having a first thickness greater than a second thickness of a remaining portion of the first dielectric electrode,
wherein the second dielectric electrode comprises a second ridge portion having the first thickness, wherein a remaining portion of the second dielectric electrode has the second thickness,
wherein the waveguide structure has the first thickness, and
wherein the first and second ridge portions and the waveguide structure extend into the first cladding layer.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide structure comprises a ridge portion and a slab layer.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the ridge portion is disposed on a first side of the slab layer and extends into a first cladding layer of the device, and wherein the first dielectric electrode and the second dielectric electrode are coupled to the slab layer on a second side of the slab layer opposite the first side.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the slab layer is composed of a different material than the ridge portion.

7. The device of claim 4 , wherein the slab layer is composed of barium titanate, and
wherein the ridge portion is composed of silicon nitride.

8. The device of claim 4 , wherein the ridge portion is composed of the material.

9. The device of claim 4 , wherein the ridge portion is disposed on a first side of the slab layer and extends into a first cladding layer of the device, and
wherein the first dielectric electrode and the second dielectric electrode are coupled to the slab layer on the first side of the slab layer.

10. The device of claim 4 , wherein the ridge portion is disposed on a first side of the slab layer and extends into a first cladding layer of the device,
wherein the first dielectric electrode and the second dielectric electrode are coupled to the slab layer on a second side of the slab layer opposite the first side.

11. The device of claim 10 , further comprising:
a first electrical contact that comprises the first dielectric electrode,
a second electrical contact that comprises the second dielectric electrode.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the first electrical contact is coupled to the first dielectric electrode by penetrating through the slab layer from the second side of the slab layer to the first side of the slab layer, and
wherein the second electrical contact is coupled to the second dielectric electrode by penetrating through the slab layer from the second side of the slab layer to the first side of the slab layer.

13. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the first dielectric electrode and the second dielectric electrode are composed of strontium titanate, and
wherein the waveguide structure is composed of barium titanate.

14. The device of claim 1 ,
wherein the waveguide structure comprises a slab layer, a first strip waveguide portion and a second strip waveguide portion,
wherein the first and second strip waveguide portions are composed of a second and a third material, respectively, and
wherein the slab layer is disposed between the first strip waveguide portion and the second strip waveguide portion.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the second and third materials are silicon nitride.

16. The device of claim 1 , wherein the material has an index of refraction that is larger than an index of refraction of one or more cladding layers in the device.

17. The device of claim 1 , wherein a ratio between the second dielectric constant of the first and second dielectric electrodes and the first dielectric constant of the material in the direction is two or greater.

18. The device of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide structure comprises a slab layer, and
wherein the direction comprises a parallel direction that is parallel to a surface of the slab layer.

19. An optical switch comprising:
an input port to couple light into the optical switch;
a Mach-Zehnder interferometer comprising a first arm and a second arm and a phase shifter on the second arm to apply a phase shift to the light to form phase-shifted light, the phase shifter comprising a first dielectric electrode and a second dielectric electrode, the second dielectric electrode being separated from the first dielectric electrode by a gap, the phase shifter further comprising a waveguide structure electrically connected to the first dielectric electrode and the second dielectric electrode, the first dielectric electrode and the second dielectric electrode being controllable to apply an electric field within the waveguide structure, the waveguide structure comprising a material having a first dielectric constant in a direction, the first dielectric electrode and the second dielectric electrode comprising a second dielectric constant in the direction that is greater than the first dielectric constant in the direction, and the first dielectric electrode and the second dielectric electrode being separated along the direction; and
one or more output ports to output the phase-shifted light from the optical switch.

20. The optical switch of claim 19 , wherein the first and second dielectric electrodes and the waveguide structure are disposed within a single layer comprising a first width, wherein the waveguide structure is disposed between the first and second dielectric electrodes within the single layer.

Assignees

• Psiquantum Corp

Inventors

• Kumar Nikhil

Classifications

• G02F1/3136

  of interferometric switch type · CPC title

• G02F1/212

  Mach-Zehnder type · CPC title

• G02B6/29353 Primary

  with a wavelength selective element in at least one light guide interferometer arm, e.g. grating, interference filter, resonator · CPC title

• G02B6/2766

  Manipulating the plane of polarisation from one input polarisation to another output polarisation, e.g. polarisation rotators, linear to circular polarisation converters · CPC title

• G02B6/3502 Primary

  involving direct waveguide displacement, e.g. cantilever type waveguide displacement involving waveguide bending, or displacing an interposed waveguide between stationary waveguides · CPC title