Abstract:
A thermoelectric generator element includes a first material configured to generate hole and electron carriers and a second material configured to produce a thermoelectric effect and thermally and physically connected to the first material, wherein an interface between the first material and the second material forms a heterojunction that acts to selectively permit injection of one of either the hole carrier or the electron carrier from the first material to the second material.
Abstract:
A spread spectrum waveform generator has a photonic oscillator and an optical heterodyne synthesizer. The photonic oscillator is a multi-tone optical comb generator for generating a series of RF comb lines on an optical carrier. The optical heterodyne synthesizer includes first and second phase-locked lasers, where the first laser feeds the multi-tone optical comb generator and the second laser is a single tone laser whose output light provides a frequency translation reference. At least one photodetector is provided for heterodyning the frequency translation reference with the optical output of the photonic oscillator to generate a spread spectrum waveform. A receiver pre-processor may be provided to operate on the spread spectrum waveform.
Abstract:
Optical bond-wire interconnections between microelectronic chips, wherein optical wires are bonded onto microelectronic chips. Such optical connections offer numerous advantages compared to traditional electrical connections. Among other things, these interconnections are insensitive to electromagnetic interference and need not be located at the edges of a chip but rather can be placed for optimal utility to the circuit function. In addition, such interconnections can be given the same or other pre-specified lengths regardless of the placement in the module and they are capable of signal bandwidths up to 20 Gigahertz without causing a cross-talk problem. A method of fabrication of such optical interconnections using optical fiber, a laser or photodetector and etched mirror and etched V-shaped grooves.
Abstract:
A limiter for limiting selected frequency components by generating Stokes waves in a stimulated Brillouin scattering medium. The generated Stokes waves create a seed that is provided to another stimulated Brillouin scattering medium. The seed selecting the undesired frequency components to be attenuated.
Abstract:
A frequency synthesizer for generating a multiple tone lightwave signal that can be converted into an RF carrier or local oscillator signal. The frequency synthesizer comprises a multiple mode master laser, two slave lasers injection-locked to the master laser, an optical coupler coupling the optical outputs of the two slave lasers, which produces an optical heterodyne output. The frequency synthesizer further comprises a homodyne phase-lock loop providing feedback control over one of the slave lasers and a heterodyne phase-lock loop providing feedback control over the other slave laser. A local oscillator selector is used to select the optical mode to which one of the slave lasers is locked, thus providing selection of the frequencies of the heterodyne output.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a laser transmitter capable of being configured to transmit one of a plurality of wavelengths. Specifically, the laser transmitter may be reconfigured using the resonance passbands of a tunable microresonator coupled with a fixed grating.
Abstract:
A multi-tone photonic oscillator comprises a laser; an optical modulator coupled to the laser; and a delay line and a photodetector coupled to the optical modulator for generating a delayed electrical signal representation of the output of the optical modulator; wherein the optical modulator being responsible for the delayed electrical signal for generating multiple tones where the frequency intervals of the tones is a function of the amount of delay imposed by the delay line.
Abstract:
A solder bump structure for use on a substrate. The solder bump structure includes a multilayer underbump metallization having a major upper surface with a solder wetable caplayer for contacting a solder bump, the mutilayer underbump metallization projecting from the substrate with an exposed sidewall; a thin layer of a metal selected from a group consisting of titanium, chrome, a titanium-nickel-titanium composite, a titanium-nickel-chrome composite, a titanium-platinum-titanium alloy, and a titanium-nickel-oxidized silicon composite deposited over or under the multilayer underbump metallization and covering the exposed sidewall of the multilayer underbump metallization.
Abstract:
A low voltage optical phase modulator includes a splitter having an input, a first output, and a second output. The input receives an optical signal and is split between the first and second outputs. A phase adjustment element is coupled to the second output and produces a predetermined optical shift in the optical signal to produce a phase-shifted optical signal. A first electroabsorptive element is coupled to the first output and blocks transmission of the optical signal when the first electroabsorptive element is activated with a low voltage. A second electroabsorptive element is coupled to the phase adjustment element and blocks transmission of the phase-shifted optical signal when the second electroabsorptive element is activated using the low voltage. An optical combiner having a first combiner input, a second combiner input, and a combiner output is coupled to the first and second electroabsorptive elements and receives the optical signal and the phase-shifted optical signal. The combiner combines these optical signals to produce a binary encoded optical signal. The present invention thus achieves an improved low voltage optical phase modulator. The present invention is advantageous in that substantially larger than 180 degrees phase shift can be achieved with the same low voltage by using optical paths having longer lengths.
Abstract:
Optical bond-wire interconnections between microelectronic chips, wherein optical wires are bonded onto microelectronic chips. Such optical connections offer numerous advantages compared to traditional electrical connections. Among other things, these interconnections are insensitive to electromagnetic interference and need not be located at the edges of a chip but rather can be placed for optimal utility to the circuit function. In addition, such interconnections can be given the same or other pre-specified lengths regardless of the placement in the module and they are capable of signal bandwidths up to 20 Gigahertz without causing a cross-talk problem. A method of fabrication of such optical interconnections using optical fiber, a laser or photodetector and etched mirror and etched V-shaped grooves.