HYBRID LASER COUPLED TO A WAVEGUIDE

• US 20110150024A1
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Inventors: Grenouillet, Laurent, Dupont, Tiphaine
• Granted Patent: US 8,472,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 372/50.11
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/021 Silicon based substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1032 Coupling to elements comprising an optical axis that is not aligned with the optical axis of the active region
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1035 Forward coupled structures [DFC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1071 Ring-lasers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/12 the resonator having a periodic structure, e.g. in distributed feedback [DFB] lasers comprising a photonic bandgap structure H01S5/11; surface-emitting lasers H01S5/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3235 emitting light at a wavelength longer than 1000 nm, e.g. InP-based 1300 nm and 1500 nm lasers

Abstract

A method for introducing light into a waveguide formed on the upper surface of a microelectronics substrate, by means of a distributed feedback laser device formed by the association of an SOI-type structure having a portion forming said waveguide, of a stack of III-V semiconductor gain materials partially covering the waveguide, and of an optical grating, wherein the grating step is selected so that the optical power of the laser beam circulates in a loop from the III-V stack to the waveguide.

Claims

1. A method for introducing light into a waveguide (3) formed on the upper surface of a microelectronics substrate, by means of a distributed feedback laser device formed by the association of an SOI-type structure having a portion forming said waveguide (3), of a stack of III-V semiconductor gain materials (5) partially covering the waveguide (3), and of an optical grating (9), wherein the grating step is selected so that the optical power of the laser beam circulates in a loop from the III-V stack (5) to the waveguide (3).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the grating step is selected so that:

β

_SOI(ω

₂)+β

_III-V(ω

₂)=2nπ

/a, and

β

_SOI(ω

₂)≠

β

_III-V(ω

₂)

with;

a;

grating step,

ω

₂;

mode frequency,

β

_SOI;

propagation constant in the waveguide,

β

_III-V;

propagation constant in said stack,

n;

an integer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the grating length is selected so that:

R=tanh²(2κ

L)

with;

L;

grating length,

κ

;

contradirectional coupling constant,

R;

grating reflectivity

so that R ranges between 0.60% and 0.99%.

4. A distributed feedback laser device formed by the association of an SOI-type structure having a portion forming a waveguide (3), of a stack of III-V semiconductor gain materials (5) partially covering the waveguide (3), and of an optical grating (9) having its period selected to allow a loop circulation of the optical power from the III-V stack (5) to the waveguide (3).

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the grating is formed of periodic recesses dug into the upper surface of a silicon waveguide clad with silicon oxide.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the grating step is selected so that:

β

_SOI(ω

₂)+β

_III-V(ω

₂)=2nπ

/a, and

β

_SOI(ω

₂)≠

β

_III-V(ω

₂)

with;

a;

grating step,

ω

₂;

mode frequency,

β

_SOI;

propagation constant in the waveguide,

β

_III-V;

propagation constant in said stack,

n;

an integer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the grating length is selected so that:

R=tanh²(2κ

L)

with;

L;

laser length,

κ

;

contradirectional coupling constant,

R;

grating reflectivity

so that R ranges between 0.60% and 0.99%.