Phase modulator with terahertz optical bandwidth formed by multi-layered dielectric stack
First Claim
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1. An optical phase modulator comprising:
- a multilayer stack, comprising a plurality of dielectric layers and having a transmission function related to at least one optical property of the stack, for receiving an optical input signal to be phase modulated; and
phase modulator means for producing a nonmechanical change in the at least one optical property of the stack to provide shifting of the transmission function to produce phase modulation of the optical input signal and to thereby produce a phase modulated output signal, said multilayer stack being disposed perpendicular to the optical signal to be modulated so that the signal passes serially through each dielectric layer of the plurality of dielectric layers and said dielectric layers being of at least three different thicknesses arranged in an aperiodic thickness pattern such that the chase modulator exhibits a near-linear phase modulation over a wide bandwidth.
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Abstract
An optical phase modulator includes a bandpass multilayer stack, formed by a plurality of dielectric layers, preferably of GaAs and AlAs, and having a transmission function related to the refractive index of the layers of the stack, for receiving an optical input signal to be phase modulated. A phase modulator device produces a nonmechanical change in the refractive index of each layer of the stack by, e.g., the injection of free carrier, to provide shifting of the transmission function so as to produce phase modulation of the optical input signal and to thereby produce a phase modulated output signal.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. An optical phase modulator comprising:
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a multilayer stack, comprising a plurality of dielectric layers and having a transmission function related to at least one optical property of the stack, for receiving an optical input signal to be phase modulated; and
phase modulator means for producing a nonmechanical change in the at least one optical property of the stack to provide shifting of the transmission function to produce phase modulation of the optical input signal and to thereby produce a phase modulated output signal, said multilayer stack being disposed perpendicular to the optical signal to be modulated so that the signal passes serially through each dielectric layer of the plurality of dielectric layers and said dielectric layers being of at least three different thicknesses arranged in an aperiodic thickness pattern such that the chase modulator exhibits a near-linear phase modulation over a wide bandwidth. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An optical switch comprising:
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a multilayer stack, comprising a plurality of dielectric layers and having a transmission function related to at least one optical property of the stack, for receiving an optical input signal to be phase modulated, said stack including a plurality of alternating layers of two different thicknesses and a plurality of further layers of at least one further thickness interspersed within said plurality of alternating layers; and
optical switching means for producing a nonmechanical change in said at least one optical property of the stack to provide shifting of the transmission function to a region of high reflectivity, said multilayer stack being disposed perpendicular to the optical input signal to be phase modulated such that the signal passes serially through each dielectric layer of the plurality of dielectric layers. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. An optical phase modulator comprising:
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a multilayer slack, comprising a plurality of dielectric layers and having a transmission function related to at least one optical property of the stack, for receiving an optical input signal to be phase modulated; and
phase modulator means for producing a nonmechanical change in the at least one optical property of the stack to provide shifting of the transmission function to produce phase modulation of the optical input signal and to thereby produce a phase modulated output signal, wherein said at least optical property is refractive index, said dielectric layers each have a refractive index value, and said phase modulator means causes a variation in the refractive index of said dielectric layers such as to produce the shift in the transmission function, and wherein said modulator means decreases the refractive index of said dielectric layers so as to shift the transmission function to shorter wavelengths.
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20. An optical phase modulator comprising:
- a multilayer stack, comprising a plurality of dielectric layers and having a transmission function related to at least one optical property of the stack, for receiving an optical input signal to be phase modulated; and
phase modulator means for producing a nonmechanical change in the at least one optical property of the stack to provide shifting of the transmission function to produce phase modulation of the optical input signal and to thereby produce a phase modulated output signal, wherein said dielectric layers include GaAs layers of a first thickness and alternating AlAs layers of a second thickness, and further layers of relatively thin layers of AlAs of a different thickness from said second thickness inserted within selected layers of GaAs to smooth the transmission function of the stack.
- a multilayer stack, comprising a plurality of dielectric layers and having a transmission function related to at least one optical property of the stack, for receiving an optical input signal to be phase modulated; and
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21. An optical phase modulator comprising:
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a multilayer stack, comprising a plurality of dielectric layers and having a transmission function related to at least one optical property of the stack, for receiving an optical input signal to be phase modulated; and
phase modulator means for producing a nonmechanical change in the at least one optical property of the stack to provide shifting of the transmission function to produce phase modulation of the optical input signal and to thereby produce a phase modulated output signal. wherein said dielectric layers include GaAs layers of a first thickness and alternating AlAs layers of a second thickness, and wherein said layers further include a plurality of relatively thick layers of GaAs of a thickness greater than said first thickness interspersed at regular intervals within the stack.
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22. An optical phase modulator comprising:
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a multilayer stack, comprising a plurality of dielectric layers and having a transmission function related to at least one optical property of the stack, for receiving an optical input signal to be phase modulated, said dielectric layers comprising alternating layers of two different thicknesses and further interspersed layers of at least one further thickness so that said stack comprises an arrangement of said dielectric layers of thickness having an overall non-repeating, aperiodic pattern; and
phase modulator means for producing a nonmechanical change in the at least one optical property of the stack to provide shifting of the transmission function to produce phase modulation of the optical input signal and to thereby produce a phase modulated output signal, wherein said at least optical property is refractive index, said dielectric layers each have a refractive index value, and said phase modulator means causes a variation in the refractive index of said dielectric layers such as to produce the shift in the transmission function, wherein said modulation means comprises free carrier injection means for adjusting free carrier flow through the stack so as to vary the refractive index of the layers, and wherein the layers are dosed with a medium exhibiting of a refractive index which varies in a nonlinear manner with optical intensity and said phase modulator means comprises an optical pump for generating an optical beam which, in combination with the propagating optical input signal, modulates the refractive index of the layers.
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Specification