Controlled tunneling waveguide integration (CTWI) for effective coupling between different components in a photonic chip
US9810839B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 8, 2016 |
| Grant date | Nov 7, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 8, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B2006/12164
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The invention describes an integrated photonics platform comprising a plurality of at least three vertically-stacked waveguides which enables light transfer from one waveguide of the photonic structure into another waveguide by means of controlled tunneling method. The light transfer involves at least three waveguides wherein light power flows from initial waveguide into the final waveguide while tunneling through the intermediate ones. As an exemplary realization of the controlled tunneling waveguide integration, the invention describes a photonic integrated structure consisting of laser guide as upper waveguide, passive guide as middle waveguide, and modulator guide as lower waveguides. Controlled tunneling is enabled by the overlapped lateral tapers formed on the same or different vertical waveguide levels. In the further embodiments, the controlled tunneling platform is modified to implement wavelength-(de)multiplexing, polarization-splitting and beam-splitting functions.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.