Vertically coupled optical resonator devices over a cross-grid waveguide architecture

• US 6,411,752 B1
• Filed: 02/22/2000
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Little, Brent E., Kokubun, Yasuo, Pan, Wugen, Chu, Sai T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONNELLY, MICHELLE R
• Application Number:
  US09/510,432
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 385/15-24, 385/31, 385/32, 385/39, 385/40-42, 359/115, 359/127, 359/128
• US Class Current: 385/17
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12109 Filter
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12116 Polariser; Birefringent
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12002 Three-dimensional structures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12007 forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/122 Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/126 using polarisation effects G02B6/1226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3137 with intersecting or branching waveguides, e.g. X-switches and Y-junctions
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/15 involving resonance effects, e.g. resonantly enhanced interaction
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/585 Add/drop devices

Abstract

Optical resonators are vertically coupled on top of bus waveguides, and are separated from the waveguides by a buffer layer of arbitrary thickness. The vertical arrangement eliminates the need for etching fine gaps to separate the rings and guides, and reduces the alignment sensitivity between the desired position of the resonator and bus waveguides by a significant degree. The resonator and bus waveguides lie in different vertical layers, and each can therefore be optimized independently. A ring resonator can be optimized for higher index contrast in the plane, small size, and low bending loss, while the bus waveguides can be designed to have lower index contrast in the plane, low propagation losses, and dimensions that make them suitable for matching to optical fibers. The waveguides can also have any lateral placement underneath the ring resonators and are not restricted by the placement of the rings. Furthermore, with the resonators lying on the top layer of the structure, they are easily accessed for tuning and trimming.

Claims

1. An optical resonator device comprising:

least one input waveguide;

at least one output waveguide which intersects said at least one input waveguide at a junction;

an optical resonator arranged at said junction so as to be optically coupled to both said input and output waveguides.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said input and output waveguides are arranged in a first layer below a second layer in which said optical resonator is arranged.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising a buffer layer configured between said first and second layers so as to provide a vertical gap between said optical resonator and said waveguides.

4. The device of claim 3 further comprising at least one additional optical resonator arranged in a third layer above said first layer and spaced apart from said second layer.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said waveguides comprise a smaller core-to-cladding refractive index contrast index contrast than said optical resonator.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said optical resonator comprises at least one ring resonator.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said optical resonator comprises a single ring resonator to operate a single order filter.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein said optical resonator comprises N ring resonators so as to be operable as an Nth order filter.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of output waveguides intersect a single input waveguide to define a cross-grid vector.

10. The device of claim 1 further comprising an array of resonator nodes, each node including an optical resonator arranged at an intersection junction of one of a plurality of input waveguides and an associated one of a plurality of output waveguides to define a cross-grid array.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein said optical resonator is tuned by changing the refractive index or absorptive constant of said optical resonator.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein said refractive index or absorptive constant of said optical resonator are changed by varying temperature, electric fields, magnetic fields, free carrier concentrations, electronic bandgap, material stress, piezoelectric effects or optical activation.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein said optical resonator is tuned by providing a UV sensitive material layer on said optical resonator.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein said optical resonator is tuned by mechanically variably positioning an optical material layer with respect to said optical resonator.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein said optical resonator is mechanically variably positioned with respect to said waveguides.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein said optical resonator is configured so as to be operable as a wavelength filter.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein said optical resonator is configured so as to be operable as an add/drop filter.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein said optical resonator is configured so as to be operable as a polarization splitter.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein said optical resonator is configured so as to be operable as a polarization rotator.