Gain integration in Si photonic coherent modulators
First Claim
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1. A semiconductor photonic chip, comprising:
- an input optical interface configured to receive an optical signal from an optical source;
a first spot size converter comprising an input optically coupled to the input optical interface and an output optically coupled to a slab-coupled optical waveguide amplifier (SCOWA), wherein the SCOWA includes one or more slab regions to filter one or more modes, and an active region located near a border of an optical mode of the optical signal, and wherein the first spot size converter is configured to increase a mode size of the optical signal before transferring the optical signal to the SCOWA; and
a second spot size converter comprising an input optically coupled to the SCOWA and an output optically coupled to an optical component in the photonic chip, wherein the second spot size converter is configured to decrease the mode size of an amplified optical signal received from the SCOWA before transferring the amplified optical signal to the optical component.
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Abstract
The embodiments herein describe an optical transmitter that integrates a SCOWA into a photonic chip that includes a modulator. The embodiments herein place the SCOWA between the laser and the modulator. To accommodate the large mode size of the waveguide in the SCOWA, the photonic chip includes a pair of spot size converters coupled to the input and output of the SCOWA. Rather than amplifying a modulated signal as is typical with an inline amplifier, the SCOWA amplifies a continuous wave (CW) optical signal generated by the laser which introduces less noise and improves the OSNR of the transmitter.
12 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A semiconductor photonic chip, comprising:
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an input optical interface configured to receive an optical signal from an optical source; a first spot size converter comprising an input optically coupled to the input optical interface and an output optically coupled to a slab-coupled optical waveguide amplifier (SCOWA), wherein the SCOWA includes one or more slab regions to filter one or more modes, and an active region located near a border of an optical mode of the optical signal, and wherein the first spot size converter is configured to increase a mode size of the optical signal before transferring the optical signal to the SCOWA; and a second spot size converter comprising an input optically coupled to the SCOWA and an output optically coupled to an optical component in the photonic chip, wherein the second spot size converter is configured to decrease the mode size of an amplified optical signal received from the SCOWA before transferring the amplified optical signal to the optical component. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An optical transmitter comprising:
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a laser configured to output a continuous wave (CW) optical signal; and a photonic chip optically coupled to the laser, the photonic chip comprising; a first spot size converter comprising an input optically coupled to the laser and an output optically coupled to a SCOWA, wherein the SCOWA includes one or more slab regions to filter one or more modes, and an active region located near a border of an optical mode of the CW optical signal, and wherein the first spot size converter is configured to adjust a mode size of the CW optical signal before transferring the CW optical signal to the SCOWA, a modulator, and a second spot size converter comprising an input optically coupled to the SCOWA and an output optically coupled to the modulator, wherein the second spot size converter is configured to adjust the mode size of an amplified optical signal received from the SCOWA before transferring the amplified optical signal to the modulator. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A semiconductor photonic chip, comprising:
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a first spot size converter comprising an input configured to receive an optical signal and an output optically coupled to a slab-coupled optical waveguide amplifier (SCOWA); and a second spot size converter comprising an input optically coupled to the SCOWA and an output optically coupled to an optical component in the photonic chip, wherein the SCOWA is disposed in an etched pocket disposed between the first and second spot size converters, wherein the first and second spot size converters are configured to adjust a mode size of optical signals to better match respective mode sizes of waveguides corresponding to the SCOWA and the optical component, and wherein the SCOWA includes one or more slab regions to filter one or more modes, and an active region located near a border of an optical mode of the optical signal. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification