Parallel-coupled dual racetrack silicon micro-resonator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9239477-B2
Application number	US-201313944341-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2013
Priority date	Jul 17, 2012
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus, resonator and method for modulating light including a mechanism to compensate for parameter deviations. The apparatus may be capable of phase shift keying and quadrature amplitude modulation, and includes a waveguide, a plurality of micro-resonators, and an electronic structure. The plurality of micro-resonators are positioned adjacent to the waveguide and have a parameter deviation in at least one resonator characteristic. The electronic structure is electrically biased so as to cause electro-optic modulation of amplitude and a phase of the light output by the apparatus, each bias voltage comprising a numerical offset that is determined based upon the parameter deviation, thereby reducing any overall effect caused by the material or manufacturing imperfections. An electronic encoder may provide driving voltage levels for phase shift keying or quadrature amplitude modulation. The number of output amplitude and phase states of light depends on the number of output voltage levels of the encoder.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for modulating an amplitude and a phase of light, comprising:
a waveguide capable of transmitting light therethrough;
at least two micro-resonators (1) located on opposite sides of the waveguide, (2) symmetrically side-coupled in parallel through the waveguide, and (3) having at least one parameter deviation in at least one resonator characteristic as a result of material or manufacturing imperfections; and
an electronic structure, formed in each of said micro-resonators, that is electrically biased to dynamically vary at least one of an amplitude and a phase of light so as to cause electro-optic modulation of the amplitude and the phase of the light, wherein each bias voltage for the electronic structure comprises a numerical offset that is determined based upon the at least one parameter deviation.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the resonator characteristic comprise an effective optical path length, a quality factor or a coupling: constant between one of the micro-resonators and the waveguide.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic structure is controlled by an electronic encoder having a plurality of digitized output voltage levels.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the electronic encoder is formed adjacent to micro-resonators.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic structure comprises at least one of a diode and a capacitor.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the waveguide and the micro-resonators are formed on a wafer comprising at least one semiconductor.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the waveguide and the micro-resonators are formed in a silicon layer of a silicon-on-insulator wafer.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the waveguide and the micro-resonators are formed in different layers of a multi-layer structure.

9. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the amplitude and phase of light signals exiting the apparatus are switched between a discrete number of values, the number of values of amplitude and phase depending directly upon a number of output voltage levels of the electronic encoder.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is used as at least one of a phase shift keying modulator and a quadrature amplitude modulator.

11. A resonator, comprising:
a substrate;
a waveguide formed on the substrate and capable of allowing a transmission of a light signal therethrough;
at least two racetrack resonators (1) formed on the substrate so as to be located on opposite sides of the waveguide such as to enable optical coupling between the racetrack resonators and the waveguide and (2) having parameter deviations in at least one resonator characteristic;
a first set of electrical contacts disposed adjacent to a first resonator of the racetrack resonators; and
a second set of electrical contacts disposed adjacent to a second resonator of the racetrack resonators;
wherein at least one of an amplitude and a phase of the light signal is dynamically varied, by an electrically biased electronic structure, so as to cause an electro-optic modulation of the amplitude and phase of the light signal; and
wherein each bias voltage of the first and second sets of electrical contacts comprises a numerical offset that is determined based upon the parameter deviations in at least one resonator characteristic.

12. The resonator according to claim 11 , wherein the resonator characteristic comprises at least one of an effective optical path length, a quality factor and a coupling constant between an racetrack resonator and the waveguide.

13. The resonator according to claim 11 , wherein at least one electrical contact of the first or second sets of electrical contacts at least partially encompasses a respective one of the first and second resonators.

14. The resonator according to claim 11 , wherein at least one electrical contact of the first or second sets of electrical contacts is disposed within a respective one of the first and second resonators.

15. The resonator according to claim 11 , wherein the substrate comprises a semiconductor wafer.

16. The resonator according to claim 11 , wherein the wave aide and racetrack resonators are formed in a silicon layer of a silicon-on-insulator wafer.

17. The resonator according to claim 11 , wherein the substrate is a multi-layer substrate, and the waveguide and racetrack resonators are formed in different layers thereof.

18. The resonator according to claim 11 , wherein amplitude and phase of light signals exiting the resonator are switched among a discrete number of values, the number of values of amplitude and phase depending directly upon a number of voltage levels supplied by an encoder to be the bias voltage of each electronic structure, the encoder being located on the substrate or out of the substrate.

19. The resonator according to claim 11 , wherein the resonator is used as at least one of a phase shift keying modulator and a quadrature amplitude modulator.

Assignees

• Univ Rutgers

Inventors

• Jiang Wei

Classifications

• G02F1/025 Primary

  in an optical waveguide structure (G02F1/017, {G02F1/2257} take precedence) · CPC title

• G02F1/3133

  the optical waveguides being made of semiconducting materials · CPC title

• G02F2203/15

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