Resonator modulators and wavelength routing switches
US6052495A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 1, 1997 |
| Grant date | Apr 18, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 1, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02F2203/055
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The invention provides an optical switch and modulator which uses a closed loop optical resonator. The optical resonator is a dielectric cavity whose primary function is to store optical power. Various structures are possible, and a particularly advantageous one is a ring shaped cavity. The wavelength response at the output port of a ring resonator side coupled to two waveguides is determined by the details of the resonator, and the coupling between the resonator and the waveguides. By coupling to adjacent resonators, the modulator response can be improved over that of a single resonator. One such improvement is in modulator efficiency, which is defined as the ratio of the change in optical intensity at the output, to a change in absorption in the ring waveguides. Absorption is used for switching and modulation without incurring significant optical attenuation. Another improvement involves making the resonance insensitive to small deviations in wavelength or index change. The latter improves fabrication tolerances and compensates for possible drift of the signal wavelength. Collectively, the behavior of multiple coupled resonators yields higher order responses.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.