DOE Patents title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Thermally tuneable optical modulator adapted for differential signaling

Abstract

An apparatus for optical modulation is provided. The apparatus includes a modulator structure and a heater structure. The modulator structure comprises a ring or disk optical resonator having a closed curvilinear periphery and a pair of oppositely doped semiconductor regions within and/or adjacent to the optical resonator and conformed to modify the optical length of the optical resonator upon application of a bias voltage. The heater structure comprises a relatively resistive annulus of semiconductor material enclosed between an inner disk and an outer annulus of relatively conductive semiconductor material. The inner disk and the outer annulus are adapted as contact regions for a heater activation current. The heater structure is situated within the periphery of the optical resonator such that in operation, at least a portion of the resonator is heated by radial conductive heat flow from the heater structure. The apparatus further includes a substantially annular isolation region of dielectric or relatively resistive semiconductor material interposed between the heater structure and the modulator structure. The isolation region is effective to electrically isolate the bias voltage from the heater activation current.

Inventors:
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1234502
Patent Number(s):
9235065
Application Number:
14/151,637
Assignee:
Sandia Corporation
Patent Classifications (CPCs):
G - PHYSICS G02 - OPTICS G02B - OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS
G - PHYSICS G02 - OPTICS G02F - DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH IS MODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THE DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY, COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g. SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING
DOE Contract Number:  
AC04-94AL85000
Resource Type:
Patent
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 2014 Jan 09
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING

Citation Formats

Zortman, William A. Thermally tuneable optical modulator adapted for differential signaling. United States: N. p., 2016. Web.
Zortman, William A. Thermally tuneable optical modulator adapted for differential signaling. United States.
Zortman, William A. Tue . "Thermally tuneable optical modulator adapted for differential signaling". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1234502.
@article{osti_1234502,
title = {Thermally tuneable optical modulator adapted for differential signaling},
author = {Zortman, William A.},
abstractNote = {An apparatus for optical modulation is provided. The apparatus includes a modulator structure and a heater structure. The modulator structure comprises a ring or disk optical resonator having a closed curvilinear periphery and a pair of oppositely doped semiconductor regions within and/or adjacent to the optical resonator and conformed to modify the optical length of the optical resonator upon application of a bias voltage. The heater structure comprises a relatively resistive annulus of semiconductor material enclosed between an inner disk and an outer annulus of relatively conductive semiconductor material. The inner disk and the outer annulus are adapted as contact regions for a heater activation current. The heater structure is situated within the periphery of the optical resonator such that in operation, at least a portion of the resonator is heated by radial conductive heat flow from the heater structure. The apparatus further includes a substantially annular isolation region of dielectric or relatively resistive semiconductor material interposed between the heater structure and the modulator structure. The isolation region is effective to electrically isolate the bias voltage from the heater activation current.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 12 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Tue Jan 12 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}

Works referenced in this record:

Adiabatic microring modulators
journal, January 2012


Highly-efficient thermally-tuned resonant optical filters
journal, January 2010


Exploiting CMOS Manufacturing to Reduce Tuning Requirements for Resonant Optical Devices
journal, June 2011


Ring Resonator Modulators in Silicon for Interchip Photonic Links
journal, November 2013


Vertical Junction Silicon Microdisk Modulator with Integrated Thermal Tuner
conference, January 2013


Depletion-mode polysilicon optical modulators in a bulk complementary metal-oxide semiconductor process
journal, January 2013


Vertical junction silicon microdisk modulators and switches
journal, January 2011


Vertical Junction Silicon Microdisk Modulators at 25Gb/s
conference, January 2013


Resonator systems and methods for tuning resonator systems
patent, August 2013


Optical device with enhanced mechanical strength
patent, December 2013


Deep-shallow optical radiation filters
patent, February 2015