Optical waveguide device with an adiabatically-varying width
US7941014B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 26, 2008 |
| Grant date | May 10, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 9, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02F2203/20
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Optical waveguide devices are disclosed which utilize an optical waveguide having a waveguide bend therein with a width that varies adiabatically between a minimum value and a maximum value of the width. One or more connecting members can be attached to the waveguide bend near the maximum value of the width thereof to support the waveguide bend or to supply electrical power to an impurity-doped region located within the waveguide bend near the maximum value of the width. The impurity-doped region can form an electrical heater or a semiconductor junction which can be activated with a voltage to provide a variable optical path length in the optical waveguide. The optical waveguide devices can be used to form a tunable interferometer (e.g. a Mach-Zehnder interferometer) which can be used for optical modulation or switching. The optical waveguide devices can also be used to form an optical delay line.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.