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Cutoff-mesa isolated rib optical waveguide for III-V heterostructure photonic integrated circuits

  • US 5,745,630 A
  • Filed: 02/22/1996
  • Issued: 04/28/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1996
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A composite optical waveguide for use within a photonic integrated circuit with light of a particular wavelength comprising:

  • a cutoff mesa waveguide structure comprising a slab layer of thickness t at the upper surface of the mesa, said slab layer being underlain by a lower cladding layer, the mesa waveguide structure having a vertically asymmetric refractive index profile that is controlled by the thickness t and the chemical composition of the slab and the lower cladding layer such that the light does not propagate in a guided mode in the cutoff mesa waveguide structure by itself, the cutoff mesa being further defined by two parallel lateral walls to form an elongated structure; and

    an elongated rib waveguide structure formed atop the cutoff mesa waveguide structure and aligned therewith, the rib waveguide structure having a width less than the width of the cutoff mesa with the width and the chemical composition of the rib waveguide being such that only the TE00 and TM00 modes of the light are guided by the combination of the cutoff mesa waveguide structure and the rib waveguide structure in the region beneath the rib waveguide structure and no modes of the light are permitted in other regions of the cutoff mesa waveguide.

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