Optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications and method for producing the same

• US 5,960,135 A
• Filed: 07/31/1997
• Issued: 09/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Ozawa, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAO, VICKY D
• Application Number:
  US08/904,291
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 385/14, 385/24, 359/154, 359/156, 359/163, 257/432
• US Class Current: 385/24
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4246 Bidirectionally operating package structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications which is able to achieve a downsizing and high integration with the production cost thereof decreased. An optical waveguide circuit is formed on a substrate and a photo diode (PD) is connected to the outgoing end side thereof. The optical waveguide circuit has a circuit of an optical wavelength division multiplexer which causes communication signal light (λ1) inputted from a bidirectional light input/output port to be transmitted through a communication light selective transmission filter and to be outputted from a communication light output port and causes non-communication light (λ2) to be reflected by the communication light selective transmission filter and to outgo through a non-communication light output port. A piezoelectric element is provided on the upper part at the outgoing side of the communication light output port. When the communication signal light passing through the optical waveguide circuit is inputted into the PD 8, the PD 8 is actuated in the reception mode to receive communication signal light and is not driven in the transmission mode to reflect communication signal light toward the optical waveguide circuit side by a high reflection coating film. The reflection light is given polarization plane modulation by the piezoelectric element, and the polarization plane modulated light is transmitted from the bidirectional light input/output port.

Claims

1. An optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications in which an optical waveguide circuit having a lower clad layer, a core and an upper clad layer formed in order on a substrate and a semiconductor light reception element is connected to an outgoing end side of said core of said optical waveguide circuit, comprising:

a reception mode actuation portion in which a reflector for communication signal light is provided at said semiconductor light reception element,

a polarization plane modulating element formed on a surface side of said upper clad layer of said optical waveguide circuit in a channel disposed to receive reflection light reflected by said reflector and arriving at the bidirectional input/output end of said optical waveguide circuit, said semiconductor light reception element for being actuated in line with a synchronization timing of reception when communication signal light is inputted into said semiconductor light reception element through said optical waveguide circuit for causing said communication signal light to be received by said semiconductor light reception element; and

a transmission mode actuation portion wherein communication signal light is reflected to said bidirectional input/output end side of said optical waveguide circuit by said reflector without actuating said semiconductor light reception element when said communication signal light is inputted into said semiconductor light reception element, in line therewith polarization plane modulation is given to said reflection light by said polarization plane modulating element, and said polarization plane modulated light being made transmission light and the same being transmitted to said bidirectional input/output end side of the core of said optical waveguide circuit.

2. An optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications as set forth in claim 1, wherein said optical waveguide circuit is constituted as an optical wavelength division multiplexer having a bidirectional light input/output port into which both communication signal light and non-communication signal light, the wavelength of which is different from that of said communication signal light, are made incident, a communication light output port for leading only said communication signal light of the communication signal light and non-communication signal light to the input side of said semiconductor light reception element, and a non-communication signal light output port for leading said non-communication signal light in a direction deviating from the input side of said semiconductor light reception element.

3. An optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications as set forth in claim 2, wherein said optical waveguide circuit has a main light path for connecting said bidirectional light input/output port and communication light output port, a non-communication light output port is provided at the outgoing end side of a branch path branched from said main light path, and a communication light selective transmission filter is provided at the branch portion of said main light path and branch path, for transmitting communication signal light incident from said bidirectional light input/output port to said communication light output port side, for transmitting the light reflected by a semiconductor light reception element of said communication signal light to said bidirectional light input/output port, and for reflecting said non-communication light incident from said bidirectional light input/output port to said branch path side.

4. An optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications as set forth in claim 3, wherein a reverse bias impression device for impressing reverse bias voltage is connected to the semiconductor light reception element, a reception mode actuation portion is constructed so as to drive said reverse bias impression device when communication signal light is inputted into said semiconductor light reception element, and a transmission mode actuation portion establishes a bias-free state or forward bias state by stopping the impression and drive of reverse bias to said reverse bias impression device when communication signal light is inputted into said semiconductor light reception element, thereby causing the communication signal light inputted into said semiconductor light reception element to be transmitted from the input side of said semiconductor light reception element to the reflector side.

5. An optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications as set forth in claim 2, wherein said optical waveguide circuit is constructed to be a Mach-Zehnder interferometer type circuit which has a first optical waveguide and second optical waveguide, wherein the first optical waveguide and second optical waveguide are juxtaposed and formed in a row with a gap provided therebetween, two directional couplers formed by drawing said first optical waveguide and second optical waveguide closer to each other are disposed in a series partway of said first optical waveguide and second optical waveguide, and a phase-shifting portion in which the lengths of said first optical waveguide and second optical waveguide are relatively changed intervenes between said two directional couplers, and the incident side of any one of said first and second optical waveguides is made a bidirectional light input/output port, the outgoing side of any one of said first and second optical waveguides is made a communication light output port, and the outgoing side of the other optical waveguide is made a non-communication output port.

6. An optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications as set forth in claim 5, wherein a reverse bias impression device for impressing reverse bias voltage is connected to the semiconductor light reception element, a reception mode actuation portion is constructed so as to drive said reverse bias impression device when communication signal light is inputted into said semiconductor light reception element, and a transmission mode actuation portion establishes a bias-free state or forward bias state by stopping the impression and drive of reverse bias to said reverse bias impression device when communication signal light is inputted into said semiconductor light reception element, thereby causing the communication signal light inputted into said semiconductor light reception element to be transmitted from the input side of said semiconductor light reception element to the reflector side.

7. An optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications as set forth in claim 2, wherein a reverse bias impression device for impressing reverse bias voltage is connected to the semiconductor light reception element, a reception mode actuation portion is constructed so as to drive said reverse bias impression device when communication signal light is inputted into said semiconductor light reception element, and a transmission mode actuation portion establishes a bias-free state or forward bias state by stopping the impression and drive of reverse bias to said reverse bias impression device when communication signal light is inputted into said semiconductor light reception element, thereby causing the communication signal light inputted into said semiconductor light reception element to be transmitted from the input side of said semiconductor light reception element to the reflector side.

8. An optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications as set forth in claim 1, wherein a reverse bias impression device for impressing reverse bias voltage is connected to the semiconductor light reception element, a reception mode actuation portion is constructed so as to drive said reverse bias impression device when communication signal light is inputted into said semiconductor light reception element, and a transmission mode actuation portion establishes a bias-free state or forward bias state by stopping the impression and drive of reverse bias to said reverse bias impression device when communication signal light is inputted into said semiconductor light reception element, thereby causing the communication signal light inputted into said semiconductor light reception element to be transmitted from the input side of said semiconductor light reception element to the reflector side.

9. An optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications as set forth in claim 1, wherein a polarization plane modulation element is formed of a piezoelectric element.

10. An optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications as set forth in claim 9, wherein said piezoelectric element is constructed by depositing and forming a lower electrode, a piezoelectric member and an upper electrode in the order on the surface side of an upper clad layer.

11. An optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications as set forth in claim 1, wherein a substrate is made of a silicon substrate or silica glass substrate, and an optical waveguide circuit is formed by any one of flame deposition method, evaporation method, and chemical vapor phase growth method.

12. A method for producing an optical integrated circuit for bidirectional communications, wherein after an optical waveguide circuit for enabling bidirectional communications is formed on a substrate at areas other than those where a semiconductor light reception element provided with a reflector is disposed and electrode patterns are deposited and formed on the surface side of the areas, at which semiconductor light reception elements are disposed, of a substrate, semiconductor light reception elements are mounted on said electrode patterns and said semiconductor light reception elements are optically connected to an outgoing end side of a core of said optical waveguide circuit, and

a polarization plane modulating element is mounted on the surface side of said optical waveguide circuit.