Patent · US Active

Semiconductor optical modulator

US8031984B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
1References
11Claims
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Key dates

Filing dateOct 24, 2007
Grant dateOct 4, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 25, 2028

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02F2202/101
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The present invention can provide an npin-type optical modulator that has a high withstand voltage and is easily fabricated. A semiconductor optical amplifier (10) according to an embodiment of the present invention is an npin-type semiconductor optical modulator in which layers are sequentially stacked, with a cathode layer (12-1) arranged on the substrate side, including at least a first n-type cladding layer (13-1), a p-type cladding layer (14), a core layer (17) and a second n-type cladding layer (13-2). In this semiconductor optical modulator, the p-type cladding layer (14) is electrically connected to an electrode (18-1) of the cathode layer. Accordingly, the accumulation of holes in the p-type cladding layer associated with light absorption in the npin-type optical modulator can be absorbed in the electrode on the negative side. This npin-type semiconductor optical modulator can be comparatively easily fabricated using conventional semiconductor manufacturing techniques by adopting a mesa type waveguide structure.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.