SOI-based photonic bandgap devices

US7298949B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• SiOptical, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Prakash Gothoskar · Allentown, US
• Margaret Ghiron · Allentown, US
• Robert Keith Montgomery · Easton, US
• Vipulkumar Patel · Emmaus, US
• Soham Pathak · Allentown, US
• David Piede · Allentown, US
• Kalpendu Shastri · Orefield, US
• Katherine A. Yanushefski · Emmaus, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 24, 2005
• Grant date: Nov 20, 2007
• Expiry date: Feb 3, 2025

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02F2202/32
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An SOI-based photonic bandgap (PBG) electro-optic device utilizes a patterned PBG structure to define a two-dimensional waveguide within an active waveguiding region of the SOI electro-optic device. The inclusion of the PBG columnar arrays within the SOI structure results in providing extremely tight lateral confinement of the optical mode within the waveguiding structure, thus significantly reducing the optical loss. By virtue of including the PBG structure, the associated electrical contacts may be placed in closer proximity to the active region without affecting the optical performance, thus increasing the switching speed of the electro-optic device. The overall device size, capacitance and resistance are also reduced as a consequence of using PBGs for lateral mode confinement.