Method of operating a semiconductor device as an optical filter and semiconductor device for implementing the method

US5355424A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Alcatel N.V. · NL

Inventors

• Wilfried Idler · Asperg, DE
• Gert Laube · Stuttgart, DE
• Michael Schilling · Stuttgart, DE
• Klaus Wunstel · Schwieberdingen, DE
• Dieter Baums · Ludwigsburg, DE
• Olaf Hildebrand · Stuttgart, DE
• Kaspar Dutting · Stuttgart, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 27, 1992
• Grant date: Oct 11, 1994
• Expiry date: Aug 27, 2012

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S5/1003
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A semiconductor device is operated as an optical filter. The semiconductor device has a substrate and a monolithically integrated branched waveguide structure disposed above the substrate, portions of the waveguide structure being divided into a plurality of regions by troughs, one of the regions being a branching region. Light is radiated into the waveguide structure at an end face of one of the regions and currents that are smaller than respective laser threshold currents of the regions flow through the regions, including the branching region, perpendicular to a propagation direction of light through the waveguide.