Abstract:
A surface-emitting laser system includes a laser that emits a vertically divergent beam generally parallel to the substrate on which it is formed, and a turning mirror in the path of the beam that extends up from the substrate to a level well above the laser height. The extended mirror area reflects a greater portion of the beam than prior planar designs, increasing the output efficiency and providing a smoother beam pattern. One fabrication method employs a masking and ion beam milling technique that uses an accumulation of redeposited material to form the additional mirror area, with a thick mask layer that is later removed guiding the redeposition. An alternate fabrication method involves epitaxial growth of an additional layer of material above the conventional laser epilayers, with the additional layer subsequently removed from the laser region but retained in the mirror region.
Abstract:
A dual band detector includes a substrate, a composite barrier, a first absorber on the substrate and on a light incident side of the composite barrier, the first absorber for detecting first infrared light wavelengths, a second absorber on the composite barrier on a side opposite the light incident side, the second absorber for detecting second infrared light wavelengths, wherein a bandgap of the first absorber is larger than that of the second absorber, wherein the composite barrier includes a first secondary barrier, a primary barrier, and a second secondary barrier, wherein the first and second secondary barriers may have a lower bandgap energy than the primary barrier, wherein the first or the second secondary barrier may have a doping level and type different from that of the primary barrier, and wherein at least the primary barrier blocks majority carriers and allows minority carrier flow.
Abstract:
An RF photonic link having at least one light source, at least one photodetector, multiple optoelectronic modulators, and an RF waveguide common to each one of said multiple optoelectronic modulators. The multiple optoelectronic modulators are optically arranged in parallel to receive light from said at least one light source and are disposed in said RF waveguide. The RF waveguide, in use, guides an RF electromagnetic field applied to each of the multiple optoelectronic modulators disposed therein, the RF electromagnetic field propagating through the RF waveguide in a direction that is perpendicular to a direction in which an optical field propagates through each of said optoelectronic modulators.
Abstract:
This invention provides a versatile unit cell as well as programmable and reconfigurable optical signal processors (such as optical-domain RF filters) that are constructed from arrays of those unit cells interconnected by optical waveguides. Each unit cell comprises an optical microdisk, an optical phase shifter, and at least one input/output optical waveguide, wherein the microdisk and the phase shifter are both optically connected to a common waveguide.
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:
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 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.