Optical waveguide ring resonator with an intracavity active element
First Claim
1. An optical resonator comprising:
- a plurality of segments of an optical waveguide;
an intracavity active element, the intracavity active element overlying and being optically coupled to a designated segment of the plurality of segments;
a plurality of total internal reflection (TIR) mirrors, a number of TIR mirrors in the plurality of TIR mirrors being equal to a number of segments in the plurality of segments; and
a photo-tunneling input/output (I/O) port that comprises a designated TIR mirror of the plurality of TIR mirrors,wherein the plurality of segments of the optical waveguide is arranged as a closed loop wherein successive pairs of the segments are connected to one another at respective segment ends by successive ones of the TIR mirrors.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An optical resonator, a photonic system and a method of optical resonance employ optical waveguide segments connected together with total internal reflection (TIR) mirrors to form a closed loop. The optical resonator includes the optical waveguide segments, an intracavity active element coupled to a designated one of the optical waveguide segments, the TIR mirrors and a photo-tunneling input/output (I/O) port. The photo-tunneling I/O port includes one of the TIR mirrors. The method includes propagating and reflecting the optical signal, or a portion thereof, in the optical resonator, transmitting a portion of the optical signal through the I/O port, and influencing the optical signal. The photonic system includes the optical resonator with optical gain and a source of an optical signal.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. An optical resonator comprising:
-
a plurality of segments of an optical waveguide; an intracavity active element, the intracavity active element overlying and being optically coupled to a designated segment of the plurality of segments; a plurality of total internal reflection (TIR) mirrors, a number of TIR mirrors in the plurality of TIR mirrors being equal to a number of segments in the plurality of segments; and a photo-tunneling input/output (I/O) port that comprises a designated TIR mirror of the plurality of TIR mirrors, wherein the plurality of segments of the optical waveguide is arranged as a closed loop wherein successive pairs of the segments are connected to one another at respective segment ends by successive ones of the TIR mirrors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A photonic system comprising:
-
an optical source that produces an optical signal; and an optical resonator that receives the optical signal, the optical resonator comprising; a plurality of segments of an optical waveguide; an intracavity active element that overlies a designated segment of the plurality of segments, the intracavity active element being optically coupled to the designated segment; a plurality of total internal reflection (TIR) mirrors, a number of TIR mirrors in the plurality of TIR mirrors being equal to a number of segments in the plurality of segments; and a photo-tunneling input output (I/O) port that comprises a designated TIR mirror of the plurality of TIR mirrors, wherein the plurality of segments of the optical waveguide is arranged as a closed loop, the TIR mirrors connecting segment ends of respective successive pairs of the segments of the optical waveguide. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A method of optical resonance comprising:
-
propagating an optical signal along a plurality of segments of an optical waveguide, the segments of the plurality being arranged as a closed loop forming a ring resonator, successive pairs of the segments being connected to one another at respective segment ends by successive ones of an equivalent plurality of total internal reflection (TIR) mirrors; reflecting a portion of the optical signal at the TIR mirrors of the equivalent plurality; influencing the optical signal within an intracavity active element that overlies a designated segment of the plurality of segments; and transmitting a portion of the optical signal out of the ring resonator through a photo-tunneling input/output (I/O) port, the photo-tunneling I/O port comprising a designated one of the TIR mirrors of the equivalent plurality. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
-
-
20. An optical waveguide ring resonator comprising:
-
a segment of reverse ridge-loaded slab optical waveguide, the reverse ridge-loaded slab optical waveguide comprising a layer of a first semiconductor material adjacent to a surface of a substrate; and an intracavity active element overlying and being optically coupled to the segment, the intracavity active element comprising a layer of a second semiconductor material bonded to the substrate surface, the second semiconductor material differing from and being lattice mismatched with the first semiconductor material, wherein a portion of an optical signal propagating in the segment is optically coupled to the intracavity active element, the portion of the optical signal extending out of the first semiconductor material layer and into the second semiconductor material layer such that the intracavity active element influences the optical signal.
-
Specification