Optical switch and manufacturing method thereof

• US 8,478,088 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tokushima, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Sanghavi, Hemang
• Application Number:
  US12/919,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20110008000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: 385/16, 385/125
• US Class Current: 385/16
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12007 forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1225 comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/212 Mach-Zehnder type
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3136 of interferometric switch type
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/32 Photonic crystals

Abstract

The object is to provide an optical switch capable of efficient operation and a manufacturing method thereof. The optical switch according to the present invention is a Mach-Zehnder interferometer type optical switch composed of a line defect waveguide of a photonic crystal. Further, the optical switch according to the present invention includes two directional couplers 20 and 23, and two paths of waveguides 30 and 32 therebetween. Furthermore, between the two paths, group velocity of guided light differs in the first path waveguide 20 and the second path waveguide 32.

Claims

1. An optical switch of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer type composed of a line defect waveguide of a photonic crystal, the optical switch comprising two directional couplers and two paths of waveguides therebetween,

wherein the directional couplers have at least two input ends and two output ends,

a part equivalent to a core of the line defect waveguide is composed by arranging defect pillars in a line,

a part equivalent to a clad of the line defect waveguide is a lattice of non-defect pillars on both sides of the defect pillars,

and between the two paths, a first path of the waveguide and a second path of the waveguide have different group velocity of guided light.

2. The optical switch according to claim 1, wherein between the first path of the waveguide and the second path of the waveguide, a cross-section area of the defect pillar in the second path of the waveguide is larger.

3. The optical switch according to claim 2, wherein a waveguide length of the second path is longer than a waveguide length of the first path.

4. The optical switch according to claim 1, wherein the second path of the waveguide comprises:

two taper waveguides, each of the taper waveguides being disposed at both ends; and

a connection waveguide that is disposed between the two taper waveguides and connected to the two directional couplers via the taper waveguides.

5. The optical switch according to claim 4, wherein a cross-section area of the defect pillar of a photonic crystal waveguide forming the two taper waveguides gradually decreases as moving away from the connection waveguide.

15. The optical switch according to claim 1, wherein the photonic crystal has a tetragonal lattice.

6. An optical switch of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer type composed of a line defect waveguide of a pillar type photonic crystal, the optical switch comprising two directional couplers and two paths of waveguides therebetween,

wherein the directional couplers have at least two input ends and two output ends,

a part equivalent to a core of the line defect waveguide is composed by arranging defect pillars in a line,

a part equivalent to a clad of the line defect waveguide is a lattice of non-defect pillars on both sides of the defect pillars,

and between the two paths, a cross-section area of the defect pillar of at least one path of the waveguide is smaller than a cross-section area of a defect pillar forming a line defect of the waveguide composing the directional coupler.

7. The optical switch according to claim 6, wherein between the two paths of the waveguides, a waveguide length of one of the path is longer than a waveguide length of the other path.

8. The optical switch according to claim 6, wherein the path of the waveguide with the small cross-section area of the defect pillar comprises:

two taper waveguides, each of the taper waveguides being disposed at both ends; and

a connection waveguide that is disposed between the two taper waveguides and connected to the two directional couplers via the taper waveguides.

9. The optical switch according to claim 8, wherein the cross-section area of the defect pillar of a photonic crystal waveguide forming the two taper waveguides gradually increases as moving away from the connection waveguide.

10. The optical switch according to claim 8 further comprising a proximate waveguide that is proximate to the connection waveguide, the proximate waveguide including the defect pillar that has the cross-section area less than or equal to the cross-section area of the defect pillar forming the line defect of the connection waveguide,

wherein the connection waveguide and the proximate waveguide are optically coupled.

11. An optical switch comprising at least two of the optical switch according to claim 10,

wherein each of the proximate waveguide included in the individual optical switch is same or connected to each other.

17. The optical switch according to claim 6, wherein the photonic crystal has a tetragonal lattice.

12. An optical switch of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer type composed of a line defect waveguide of a photonic crystal, the optical switch comprising two directional couplers and two paths of waveguides therebetween,

wherein the directional couplers have at least two input ends and two output ends,

a part equivalent to a core of the line defect waveguide is composed by arranging defect pillars in a line,

a part equivalent to a clad of the line defect waveguide is a lattice of non-defect pillars on both sides of the defect pillars,

and a part or all of at least one of the two paths of the waveguides operates as a resonator that resonates to light of a frequency other than a waveguide band of the waveguide composing the directional coupler.

13. The optical switch according to claim 12, further comprising a waveguide for control that is proximate to the resonator, the waveguide for control being capable of guiding light of a frequency in a band gap of the photonic crystal, and also capable of guiding light of a resonance frequency of the resonator,

wherein the resonator and the waveguide for control are optically coupled.

14. An optical switch comprising two or more of the optical switch according to claim 13,

wherein each of the waveguide for control included in the individual optical switch is same or connected to each other.

18. The optical switch according to claim 12, wherein the photonic crystal has a tetragonal lattice.

16. A manufacturing method of an optical switch of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer type composed of a line defect waveguide of a photonic crystal, the manufacturing method comprising forming two directional couplers and two paths of waveguides therebetween,

wherein the directional couplers have at least two input ends and two output ends,

a part equivalent to a core of the line defect waveguide is composed by arranging defect pillars in a line,

a part equivalent to a clad of the line defect waveguide is a lattice of non-defect pillars on both sides of the defect pillars,

and between the two paths, a first path of the waveguide and a second path of the waveguide have different group velocity of guided light.

19. An optical switch of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) type comprising:

a waveguide core of a first MZI path comprising a plurality of first photonic crystal pillars arranged to form (i) a first photonic band that is transmissive for light of an operating frequency, and (ii) a first group velocity dispersion for light of the operating frequency;

a waveguide core of a second MZI path comprising a plurality of second photonic crystal pillars arranged to form (i) a second photonic band that is transmissive for light of the operating frequency, and (ii) a second, different, group velocity dispersion for light of the operating frequency; and

a clad region comprising a plurality of third photonic crystal pillars arranged on both sides of the waveguide core of the first MZI path and the waveguide core of the second MZI path to form a photonic band gap that is not transmissive for light of the operating frequency.

20. The optical switch of claim 19, wherein a photonic crystal pillar of the first photonic crystal pillars has a different pillar cross-section area from a photonic crystal pillar of the second photonic crystal pillars.

21. The optical switch of claim 19, further comprising:

a first directional coupler comprising a first output end coupled to the first MZI path and a second output end coupled to the second MZI path; and

a second directional coupler comprising a first input end coupled to the first MZI path and a second input end coupled to the second MZI path.

22. The optical switch of claim 19 further comprising:

a waveguide core of a first connection waveguide coupled to an input of the first MZI path, the waveguide core of the first connection waveguide comprises a plurality of fourth photonic crystal pillars arranged to form (i) a third photonic band that is transmissive for light of the operating frequency and (ii) a second photonic band gap that is reflective for light of the control frequency; and

a waveguide core of a second connection waveguide coupled to an output of the first MZI path, the waveguide core of the second connection waveguide comprises a plurality of fourth photonic crystal pillars arranged to form (i) a fourth photonic band that is transmissive for light of the operating frequency and (ii) a third photonic band gap that is reflective for light of the control frequency.

23. An optical switch of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer type comprising:

a waveguide core of a first MZI path comprising a plurality of first photonic crystal pillars arranged to form a first photonic band that is transmissive for light of (i) an operating frequency and (ii) a control frequency;

a waveguide core of a second MZI path comprising a plurality of second photonic crystal pillars arranged to form a second photonic band that is transmissive for light of the operating frequency;

a waveguide core of a first connection waveguide coupled to an input of the first MZI path, the waveguide core of the first connection waveguide comprises a plurality of third photonic crystal pillars arranged to form (i) a third photonic band that is transmissive for light of the operating frequency and (ii) a first photonic band gap that is reflective for light of the control frequency;

a waveguide core of a second connection waveguide coupled to an output of the first MZI path, the waveguide core of the second connection waveguide comprises a plurality of fourth photonic crystal pillars arranged to form (i) a fourth photonic band that is transmissive for light of the operating frequency and (ii) a second photonic band gap that is reflective for light of the control frequency; and

a clad region comprising a plurality of fifth photonic crystal pillars arranged on both sides of the waveguide core of the first MZI path and the waveguide core of the second MZI path to form a third photonic band gap that is not transmissive for light of the operating frequency,

wherein the first connection waveguide, the first MZI path, and the second connection waveguide form a resonator for light of the control frequency.

24. The optical switch of claim 23, wherein a photonic crystal pillar of the first photonic crystal pillars has a same pillar cross-section area from a photonic crystal pillar of the second photonic crystal pillars.

25. The optical switch of claim 23, further comprising:

a first directional coupler comprising a first output end coupled to the first MZI path and a second output end coupled to the second MZI path; and

a second directional coupler comprising a first input end coupled to the first MZI path and a second input end coupled to the second MZI path.

26. The optical switch of claim 23, further comprising:

a waveguide core of a proximate waveguide comprising a plurality of sixth photonic crystal pillars arranged to form (i) a fifth photonic band that is transmissive for light of the control frequency,

wherein the proximate waveguide is configured to (i) receive light of the control frequency and to (ii) optically couple the received light to the first MZI path.