Waveguide structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9417469-B2
Application number	US-201514694094-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2015
Priority date	Apr 24, 2014
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

A waveguide structure comprising: a core comprising a layer of electro-optic dielectric material, a first layer of semiconductor material provided below the electro-optic material and a second layer of the semiconductor material provided above the electro-optic material, and electrodes, configured for applying voltages. The electro-optic dielectric material has a Pockels tensor containing at least one non-vanishing element rij where i≠j, and the electrodes comprise a first set of electrodes provided substantially in direct contact with the electro-optic dielectric material, and a second set of electrodes comprising at least an electrode provided substantially in direct contact with the first layer and at least an electrode substantially in direct contact with the second layer, wherein the sets of electrodes are configurable to apply in the electro-optic material, at least a substantially horizontal electrical field and at least a substantially vertical electrical field that are orientated substantially perpendicular relative to each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) comprising: a core ( 2 ) comprising a layer of at least an electro-optic dielectric material ( 3 ), a layer of at least a semiconductor material ( 4 ) provided below the electro-optic material ( 3 ) and a layer of at least a semiconductor material ( 5 ) provided above the electro-optic material ( 3 ), and electrodes ( 6 , 6 ′, 7 , 8 ), that are configurable for voltage application, wherein: the electro-optic dielectric material ( 3 ) has a Pockels tensor containing at least one non-vanishing element rij where i≠j, and the electrodes ( 6 , 6 ′, 7 , 8 ) comprise respective sets of electrodes ( 6 , 6 ′, 7 , 8 ) comprising a set of electrodes ( 6 , 6 ′) that are provided substantially in direct contact with the electro-optic dielectric material ( 3 ), and a further set of electrodes ( 7 , 8 ) comprising at least an electrode ( 7 ) provided substantially in direct contact with the semiconductor material ( 4 ) below the electro-optic material ( 3 ) and at least an electrode ( 8 ) provided substantially in direct contact with the semiconductor material ( 5 ) above the electro-optic material ( 3 ), wherein the respective sets of electrodes ( 6 , 6 ′, 7 , 8 ) are configurable to apply in the electro-optic material ( 3 ), when the waveguide structure ( 1 ) is in use, at least a substantially horizontal electrical field ( 11 ) and at least a substantially vertical electrical field ( 12 ) that are orientated substantially perpendicular relative to each other.

2. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the horizontal electrical field ( 11 ) and the vertical electrical field ( 12 ) are each configurable to facilitate a given corresponding effect in the electro-optic material ( 3 ).

3. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the horizontal electrical field ( 11 ) and the vertical electrical field ( 12 ) are configurable to interchangeably facilitate a given effect in the electro-optic material ( 3 ).

4. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a given set of electrodes of the respective sets of electrodes ( 6 , 6 ′, 7 , 8 ) are configurable to pole ferroelectric domains in the electro-optic material ( 3 ).

5. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 wherein a given set of electrodes of the respective sets of electrodes ( 6 , 6 ′, 7 , 8 ) are configurable to modify a refractive index of the electro-optic material ( 3 ).

6. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 configurable to modify at least one of the horizontal electrical field ( 11 ) and the vertical electrical field ( 12 ) in response to a given temperature variation.

7. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 configurable to modify at least one of the horizontal electrical field ( 11 ) and the vertical electrical field ( 12 ) in response to a given dimension deviation.

8. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 configurable such that the horizontal electrical ( 11 ) and the vertical electrical field ( 12 ) are applied one of: simultaneously and consecutively to the electro-optic material ( 3 ).

9. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the respective sets of electrodes ( 6 , 6 ′, 7 , 8 ) are provided on substantially a same plane relative to the electro-optic material ( 3 ).

10. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the electro-optic material ( 3 ) exhibits a Kerr effect in the range of 1e −10 m 2 /V 2 to 1e −25 m 2 /V 2 .

11. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 comprising a slot waveguide structure ( 3 , 4 , 5 , 5 ′).

12. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the electro-optic dielectric material ( 3 ) comprises at least one of barium titanate and barium strontium titanate.

13. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the semiconductor materials ( 4 , 5 ) provided above and below the electro-optic material ( 3 ) comprises one of: a Group IV material, a Group III-V material, a crystalline material, a polycrystalline material and an amorphous material.

14. A waveguide structure ( 1 ) as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the semiconductor materials ( 4 , 5 ) provided above and below the electro-optic material ( 3 ) comprises amorphous silicon.

15. A method for fabricating a waveguide structure ( 1 ) comprising the steps of: providing a core ( 2 ) comprising a layer of at least an electro-optic dielectric material ( 3 ), a layer of at least a semiconductor material ( 4 ) below the electro-optic material ( 3 ) and a layer of at least a semiconductor material ( 5 ) above the electro-optic material ( 3 ), and providing electrodes ( 6 , 6 ′, 7 , 8 ) that are configurable for voltage application, wherein: the electro-optic dielectric material ( 3 ) is selected to have a Pockels tensor containing at least one non-vanishing element rij where i≠j, and the electrodes ( 6 , 6 ′, 7 , 8 ) are provided as comprising respective sets of electrodes ( 6 , 6 ′, 7 , 8 ) that comprise a set of electrodes ( 6 ) that are provided substantially in direct contact with the electro-optic dielectric material ( 3 ) and a set of electrodes ( 7 , 8 ) comprising at least an electrode ( 7 ) that is provided substantially in direct contact with the semiconductor material ( 4 ) provided below the electro-optic material ( 3 ) and at least an electrode ( 8 ) that is provided substantially in direct contact with the semiconductor material ( 5 ) provided above the electro-optic material ( 3 ), wherein the respective sets of electrodes ( 6 , 6 ′, 7 , 8 ) are configurable to apply in the electro-optic material ( 3 ), when the waveguide structure ( 1 ) is in use, at least a substantially horizontal electrical field ( 11 ) and at least a substantially vertical electrical field ( 12 ) that are orientated substantially perpendicular relative to each other.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Abel Stefan
• Marchiori Chiara

Classifications

• G02F1/025 Primary

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

• G02F2203/06

  Polarisation independent · CPC title

• G02F1/035 Primary

  in an optical waveguide structure · CPC title

• G02F2202/103

  a-Si · CPC title

• G02F1/0316

  Electrodes · CPC title