Silicon double-injection electro-optic modulator with insulated-gate and method of using same

• US 4,958,898 A
• Filed: 03/15/1989
• Issued: 09/25/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force
• Inventors: Soref, Richard A., Friedman, Lionel
• Primary Examiner(s): Healy, Brian
• Application Number:
  US07/323,738
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 350/96.10, 350/96.11, 350/96.12, 350/96.13, 350/355, 350/96.14, 350/96.15, 350/320, 357/17, 357/19, 357/20, 357/23.1, 357/25, 357/30, 357/23.4, 357/23.12, 357/23.14
• US Class Current: 385/3
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0152 using free carrier effects, e.g. plasma effect
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/025 in an optical waveguide structure G02F1/017, G02F1/2257 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/212 Mach-Zehnder type
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/2257 the optical waveguides being made of semiconducting material
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3133 the optical waveguides being made of semiconducting materials
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3138 the optical waveguides being made of semiconducting materials
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/105 single crystal Si

Abstract

A double-injection transistor structure with an MOS gate is utilized as a guided-wave electro-optic phase modulator at infrared wavelengths in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide. Cathode, gate and anode regions are integrated in the waveguide, longitudinally. The effective phase modulation is given by the voltage-variable overlap of the guided-mode optical field with carrier-induced local changes in the silicon refractive index. An electron-hole plasma is injected under the gate by cathode and anode. Using depletion-layer widening, the plasma channel width and mode overlap are controlled very rapidly by one or two low-power gate electrodes.

Claims

1. Apparatus for changing the refractive index of a light transmitting semiconductor waveguide having a longitudinal axis comprising:

(a) a light transmitting semiconductor waveguide;

(b) injection means for producing a flow of free carriers along a carrier conduction channel within said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide; and

(c) gate control means for controlling the effective cross-sectional area of said carrier conduction channel by inducing at least one depletion region within said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said injection means injects both holes and electrons into said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide for inducing an electron-hole plasma therein.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said injection means comprises an anode electrode and a cathode electrode both mounted upon said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide, first voltage supply means electrically coupled between said anode electrode and said cathode electrode, and wherein said gate control means includes a gate electrode means mounted upon said waveguide, together with a gate control second voltage supply source electrically coupled thereto.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said injection means comprises an anode electrode and a cathode electrode both mounted upon said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide, first voltage supply means electrically coupled between said anode electrode and said cathode electrode, and wherein said gate control means includes a gate electrode means mounted upon said semiconductor waveguide, together with a gate control second voltage supply source electrically coupled thereto.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said semiconductor waveguide comprises an n type semiconductor material, said anode electrode comprises a p+ type semiconductor material formed within said semiconductor waveguide, said cathode electrode comprises an n+ type semiconductor material formed within said semiconductor waveguide, and said gate electrode means includes a thin layer of an insulating dielectric on the top surface of the semiconductor waveguide, the insulating dielectric being covered by a metal layer.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said gate electrode means is positioned between said anode electrode and said cathode electrode along the longitudinal axis of said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said gate electrode means is positioned between said anode electrode and said cathode electrode along the longitudinal axis of said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said gate electrode means is positioned between said anode electrode and said cathode electrode along the longitudinal axis of said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said gate electrode means comprises a first insulating layer mounted upon an upper surface portion of said semiconductor waveguide and a metallic electrode overlaying said insulating layer.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further including a second insulating layer contacting a lower surface portion of said semiconductor waveguide and wherein said second insulating layer has a thickness of 0.5 to 1.0 micron and is in turn formed on a Si substrate.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said first insulating layer has a thickness of 500-1000 angstroms and said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide has a thickness of 1500-2500 angstroms.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said first insulating layer has a thickness of 500-1000 angstroms and said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide has a thickness of 1500-2500 angstroms.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said carried conduction channel comprises crystalline Si having 1-5×

10¹⁶ impurity atoms/cm³ therein.

14. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said carrier conduction channel comprises crystalline Si having 1-5×

10¹⁶ impurity atoms/cm³ therein.

15. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said carrier conduction channel comprises crystalline Si having 1-5×

10¹⁶ impurity atoms/cm³ therein.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said carrier conduction channel comprises crystalline Si having 1-5×

10¹⁶ impurity atoms/cm³ therein.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said carrier conduction channel comprises crystalline Si having 1-5×

10¹⁶ impurity atoms/cm³ therein.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said carrier conduction channel comprises crystalline Si having 1-5×

10¹⁶ impurity atoms/cm³ therein.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said carrier conduction channel comprises crystalline Si having 1-5×

10¹⁶ impurity atoms/cm³ therein.

20. A method of phase modulating a light beam comprising the steps of:

(a) propagating a light beam along the longitudinal axis of a light transmitting semiconductor waveguide;

(b) injecting a flow of free carriers into said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide, overlapping the lowest-order fundamental guided mode optical field of said light beam;

(c) producing at least one depletion region within said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide adjacent to said flow of free carriers; and

(d) altering the size of said depletion region for controlling the effective cross-sectional area of said flow of free carriers.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein step (b) comprises injecting a two-carrier plasma of holes and electrons into said waveguide.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein a portion of said flow of free carriers is produced parallel to the longitudinal axis of said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein a portion of said flow of free carriers is produced parallel to the longitudinal axis of said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein central portions of said flow of free carriers coincide with the intensity profile peak of the fundamental guided mode of said light beam.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein central portions of said two-carrier plasma coincide with the intensity profile peak of the fundamental guided mode of said light beam.

26. An optical phase modulator comprising:

(a) first and second carrier injection means formed with a semiconductor light propagating waveguide for forming an electron-hole plasma therein;

(b) a direct current forward biasing first voltage source having a first terminal coupled to the first carrier injection means and a second terminal coupled to the second carrier injection means;

(c) a second voltage source having a first terminal coupled to a gate electrode means positioned upon said semiconductor light propagating waveguide and a second terminal coupled to said waveguide for increasing at least one depletion zone therein upon the increase of voltage applied to said gate electrode means, thereby to alter the phase of light propagated through said semiconductor waveguide.

27. The modulator of claim 26 including means for coupling the second terminals of said first and second voltage sources to each other.

28. The modulator of claim 26 wherein said light transmitting waveguide comprises a layer of crystalline Si having a thickness of 1500-2500 angstroms and a coping of 1-5×

10¹⁶ impurities/cm³, formed upon an electrically insulating substrate.

29. The modulator of claim 27 wherein said light transmitting waveguide comprises a layer of crystalline Si having a thickness of 1500-2500 angstroms and a doping of 1-5×

10¹⁶ impurities/cm³, formed upon an electrically insulating substrate.

30. The modulator of claim 28 wherein said insulating substrate includes a bottom semiconductor layer and an overlaying insulating isolation layer 5000-8000 Å

thick for containing propagated light within said layer of crystalline Si.

31. The modulator of claim 29 wherein said insulating substrate includes a bottom semiconductor layer and an overlaying insulating isolation layer pb 5000-8000 Å

thick for containing propagated light within said layer of crystalline Si.

32. The modulator of claim 30 wherein said bottom semiconductor layer is heavily doped and further including means for electrically coupling the gate electrode means to said bottom semiconductor layer for enabling double sided constriction of said plasma within said layer of crystalline Si.

33. The modulator of claim 31 wherein said bottom semiconductor layer is heavily doped and further including means for electrically coupling the gate electrode means to said bottom semiconductor layer for enabling double sided constriction of said plasma within said layer of crystalline Si.

34. The modulator of claim 26 wherein said first voltage source applies sufficient voltage across said first and second carrier injection means to form said plasma, and said second voltage source generates gating voltage pulses having amplitudes of 10-15 volts.

35. The modulator of claim 27 wherein said first voltage source applies sufficient voltage across said first and second carrier injection means to form said plasma, and said second voltage source generates gating voltage pulses having amplitudes of 10-15 volts.

36. The modulator of claim 28 wherein said first voltage source applies sufficient voltage across said first and second carrier injection means to form said plasma, and said second voltage source generates gating voltage pulses having amplitudes of 10-15 volts.

37. The modulator of claim 29 wherein said first voltage source applies sufficient voltage across said first and second carrier injection means to form said plasma, and said second voltage source generates gating voltage pulses having amplitudes of 10-15 volts.

38. Apparatus for changing the refractive index of a light transmitting semiconductor waveguide having a longitudinal axis comprising:

(a) a light transmitting n type semiconductor waveguide;

(b) injection means for injecting both holes and electrons along a carrier conduction channel within said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide;

(c) gate control means for controlling the effective cross-sectional area of said carrier conduction channel by inducing at least one depletion region within said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide, and wherein said injection means comprises an anode electrode and a cathode electrode both mounted upon said light transmitting semiconductor waveguide, first voltage supply means electrically coupled between said anode electrode and said cathode electrode, and wherein said gate control means includes a gate electrode means, together with a gate control second voltage supply source electrically coupled thereto, said gate electrode means further comprising a p+/n junction formed within said waveguide.

39. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein said semiconductor waveguide comprises crystalline Si having 1-5×

10¹⁶ impurity atoms/cm³ therein.