CN111856650B - Normally dark light switch and light path gating device - Google Patents

Normally dark light switch and light path gating device Download PDF

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Publication number
CN111856650B
CN111856650B CN201910364012.5A CN201910364012A CN111856650B CN 111856650 B CN111856650 B CN 111856650B CN 201910364012 A CN201910364012 A CN 201910364012A CN 111856650 B CN111856650 B CN 111856650B
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waveguide
wedge
control board
optical
facet
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CN201910364012.5A
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CN111856650A (en
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张泽岑
宋小鹿
冀瑞强
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Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
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Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
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Priority to CN201910364012.5A priority Critical patent/CN111856650B/en
Priority to PCT/CN2020/072737 priority patent/WO2020220768A1/en
Publication of CN111856650A publication Critical patent/CN111856650A/en
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/10—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type
    • G02B6/12—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind
    • G02B6/12004—Combinations of two or more optical elements
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/10—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type
    • G02B6/12—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
    • G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
    • G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour 
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
    • G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
    • G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour 
    • G02F1/011—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  in optical waveguides, not otherwise provided for in this subclass
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
    • G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
    • G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour 
    • G02F1/0147—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on thermo-optic effects
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
    • G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
    • G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour 
    • G02F1/03—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on ceramics or electro-optical crystals, e.g. exhibiting Pockels effect or Kerr effect
    • G02F1/035—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on ceramics or electro-optical crystals, e.g. exhibiting Pockels effect or Kerr effect in an optical waveguide structure
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
    • G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
    • G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour 
    • G02F1/09—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on magneto-optical elements, e.g. exhibiting Faraday effect
    • G02F1/095—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on magneto-optical elements, e.g. exhibiting Faraday effect in an optical waveguide structure
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
    • G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
    • G02F1/29—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the position or the direction of light beams, i.e. deflection
    • G02F1/295—Analog deflection from or in an optical waveguide structure]
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/10—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type
    • G02B6/12—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind
    • G02B2006/12133—Functions
    • G02B2006/12145—Switch

Abstract

The application discloses a normally dark light switch and a light path gating device, and belongs to the technical field of photoelectrons. The normally dark light switch includes: the waveguide comprises a substrate, a first waveguide, a second waveguide and a control device; the first waveguide and the second waveguide are covered on the upper surface of the substrate, the first waveguide is provided with a wedge-shaped surface, and the second waveguide is covered on the wedge-shaped surface; the control device is used for adjusting the refractive index of at least one of the first waveguide and the second waveguide so as to adjust the size of the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface; the included angle between the central line of the first waveguide and the normal of the wedge-shaped surface is larger than or equal to the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface before the refractive index of the control device is not adjusted, and is smaller than the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface after the refractive index of the control device is adjusted; the second waveguide comprises a dissipation area, the dissipation area is an area to which input light is reflected after being totally reflected on the wedge-shaped surface, and the dissipation area is used for absorbing or scattering the input light. The on-chip integration of the normally dark light switch is good, and the required adjustment power consumption is relatively small.

Description

Normally dark light switch and light path gating device
Technical Field
The application relates to the technical field of photoelectron, in particular to a normally dim light switch and a light path gating device.
Background
With the development of optoelectronic technology, more and more optoelectronic devices are converted from discrete modules into chip integration, and the functions of optoelectronic chips are also more abundant and powerful. However, when the control circuit of the optoelectronic chip fails, the unprocessed optical signal is directly transmitted to the through terminal, which causes serious crosstalk to the subsequent optical path. Therefore, automatic blocking protection of the optical path after failure of the control circuit of the optoelectronic chip is very important.
Currently, as shown in fig. 1, a Y-branch splitter consisting of an Input Waveguide (IWG), an Output Waveguide (OWG), a Transition Waveguide (TWG), an Emission Waveguide (EWG) and a hot electrode is often used to block the optical path. The material of the OWG is different from that of the TWG, the material of the TWG is a negative thermo-optic coefficient material, and the refractive index of the OWG is slightly larger than that of the TWG. The EWG is used to dissipate the optical field. The thermode is located at one side of the TWG and used for controlling the trend of the light field.
When the hot electrode is not electrically heated, the optical field confinement capability of the OWG is insufficient because the initial refractive index difference between the OWG and the TWG is small, resulting in the optical field being coupled into the TWG and transmitted to the EWG to be dissipated. At this point the ports at OWG are off. When the thermal electrode is electrified and heated, the refractive index of the TWG is reduced, the refractive index difference between the OWG and the TWG is increased, and the optical field limiting capability of the OWG is enhanced. So that the optical field is confined within and transmitted along the OWG. At this point there is a through at the port of the OWG.
However, the size of the Y-branch beam splitter is large, and its length is typically in the order of millimeters, which can seriously affect the integration of the optoelectronic chip. In addition, in order to enhance the optical field limiting capability of the OWG to limit the optical field within the OWG, the refractive index difference between the OWG and the TWG needs to be large, and at this time, the hot electrode needs to be electrified and heated to a relatively high temperature, so that the required modulation power consumption is relatively large.
Disclosure of Invention
The application provides a normally dark optical switch and an optical path gating device, which can solve the problems that a Y-branch beam splitter seriously influences the integration level of a photoelectronic chip and the required modulation power consumption is larger in the related technology.
In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a normally dark optical switch, where the normally dark optical switch includes: the waveguide comprises a substrate, a first waveguide, a second waveguide and a control device. Specifically, the first waveguide and the second waveguide cover the upper surface of the substrate. The first waveguide has a wedge-facet and the second waveguide overlies the wedge-facet. The refractive index of the first waveguide is greater than that of the second waveguide, and the control device is configured to adjust the refractive index of at least one of the first waveguide and the second waveguide to adjust the size of the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped facet. An included angle between the center line of the first waveguide and the normal of the wedge-shaped surface is larger than or equal to a total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface before the refractive index of the control device is not adjusted, and is smaller than the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface after the refractive index of the control device is adjusted. The second waveguide comprises a dissipation area, the dissipation area is an area to which input light is reflected after being totally reflected on the wedge-shaped surface, and the dissipation area is used for absorbing or scattering the input light.
In this embodiment, when the control device does not operate, a difference between refractive indexes of the first waveguide and the second waveguide is large, a total reflection angle of the wedge surface is small, and an included angle between input light in the first waveguide and a normal line of the wedge surface is greater than or equal to the total reflection angle of the wedge surface. The input light in the first waveguide will be totally reflected at the wedge-facet. Input light can be reflected to the dissipation area in the second waveguide after being totally reflected on the wedge-shaped surface, and the dissipation area can absorb or scatter the input light, so that light blocking can be realized. When the control device works, the control device adjusts the refractive index of at least one of the first waveguide and the second waveguide, so that the difference between the refractive indexes of the first waveguide and the second waveguide becomes smaller, and the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface is increased. At this time, the included angle between the input light in the first waveguide and the normal N of the wedge surface is smaller than the total reflection angle of the wedge surface, so that the input light in the first waveguide is not totally reflected on the wedge surface, but is transmitted to the output end of the second waveguide after being refracted by the wedge surface, and light penetration is realized.
The normally dark light switch has a simple and compact structure, is easy to be applied to various photoelectronic chips, and has good on-chip integration. In addition, the size of the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface is adjusted only by the control device to realize the blocking or the penetration of the optical path, so that the required adjustment power consumption is relatively low. In addition, the normally dark optical switch provided by the embodiment of the application has low requirements on the shape, the position and the alignment precision of the control device 13, so that the normally dark optical switch is easy to manufacture, and the cost can be greatly reduced. In addition, the technology of the normally-dark optical switch is friendly, and the normally-dark optical switch can be compatible with a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) standard flow, so that the application range can be enlarged.
Optionally, the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide including the wedge-facet, and the width of the first portion gradually decreases along a central line of the first waveguide toward the second waveguide.
In an embodiment of the present application, the first portion may provide an optical mode field grading function. That is, when the input light is transmitted to the wedge facet in the first portion, the optical mode field of the input light gradually changes, so that abrupt changes of the optical mode field can be effectively avoided to reduce insertion loss.
Optionally, the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, and the second waveguide further includes a tapered portion. The gradual change portion covers the first waveguide except for the first portion, and the width of the gradual change portion is gradually increased along the central line of the first waveguide towards the direction that the second waveguide approaches.
In the embodiment of the present application, the gradation portion may provide an optical mode field gradation function. That is, when the input light is transmitted to the wedge facet in the portion of the first waveguide covered by the tapered portion, the optical mode field of the input light is gradually changed, so that abrupt change of the optical mode field can be effectively avoided to reduce insertion loss.
Further, the normally dark optical switch further includes a cladding layer. The cladding layer covers the first waveguide and the second waveguide.
In the embodiment of the present application, the cladding may protect the first waveguide and the second waveguide, for example, the first waveguide and the second waveguide may be prevented from being corroded by a corrosive medium, and may further prevent collision, scratch, and the like.
In some embodiments, the first waveguide has a smaller thermo-optic coefficient than the second waveguide. The first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, and the second portion of the second waveguide is a portion of the second waveguide that is adjacent to the wedge-facet. The control device is a thermode. The thermode is arranged inside the substrate, and an orthographic projection of the first portion and/or the second portion on the upper surface of the substrate is positioned in an orthographic projection of the thermode on the upper surface of the substrate.
In some embodiments, the first waveguide has a smaller thermo-optic coefficient than the second waveguide. The first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, and the second portion of the second waveguide is a portion of the second waveguide that is adjacent to the wedge-facet. The control device is a thermode. The thermode is arranged inside the cladding or on the upper surface of the cladding, and the orthographic projection of the first portion and/or the second portion on the upper surface of the substrate is positioned in the orthographic projection of the thermode on the upper surface of the substrate.
In the embodiment of the present application, when the thermo-optic coefficient of the first waveguide is a negative thermo-optic coefficient and the thermo-optic coefficient of the second waveguide is a positive thermo-optic coefficient, the refractive index of the first waveguide decreases with an increase in temperature, and the refractive index of the second waveguide increases with an increase in temperature. In this way, when the first portion and the second portion are simultaneously heated using the thermode, the heating temperature required for the difference in refractive index between the first portion and the second portion to reach the same amount of change is lower, so that power consumption can be greatly reduced.
In some embodiments, the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, and the second portion of the second waveguide is a portion of the second waveguide that is adjacent to the wedge-facet. The control device includes a first control board and a second control board. The first control plate is located inside or on the upper surface of the cladding layer and the second control plate is located inside the substrate. The electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide is smaller than that of the second waveguide, an electric field is formed between the first control plate and the second control plate, and the first part and/or the second part are/is positioned in the electric field between the first control plate and the second control plate; or the magneto-optical coefficient of the first waveguide is smaller than that of the second waveguide, a magnetic field is formed between the first control board and the second control board, and the first part and/or the second part are/is located in the magnetic field between the first control board and the second control board.
In some embodiments, the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, and the second portion of the second waveguide is a portion of the second waveguide that is adjacent to the wedge-facet. The control device includes a first control board and a second control board. The first control board and the second control board are covered on the upper surface of the substrate. The electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide is smaller than that of the second waveguide, an electric field is formed between the first control plate and the second control plate, and the first part and/or the second part are/is positioned in the electric field between the first control plate and the second control plate; or the magneto-optical coefficient of the first waveguide is smaller than that of the second waveguide, a magnetic field is formed between the first control board and the second control board, and the first part and/or the second part are/is located in the magnetic field between the first control board and the second control board.
In the embodiment of the present application, when the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide is a negative electro-optic coefficient and the electro-optic coefficient of the second waveguide is a positive electro-optic coefficient, the refractive index of the first waveguide is decreased in the electric field and the refractive index of the second waveguide is increased in the electric field. In this way, when the first portion and the second portion are both located in the electric field between the first control plate and the second control plate, the electric field strength required for the difference in refractive index between the first portion and the second portion to reach the same amount of change is lower, so that power consumption can be greatly reduced.
In addition, when the magneto-optical coefficient of the first waveguide is a negative magneto-optical coefficient and the magneto-optical coefficient of the second waveguide is a positive magneto-optical coefficient, the refractive index of the first waveguide decreases in the magnetic field and the refractive index of the second waveguide increases in the magnetic field. In this way, when the first portion and the second portion are both located in the magnetic field between the first control plate and the second control plate, the electric field strength required for the difference in refractive index between the first portion and the second portion to reach the same amount of change is lower, so that power consumption can be greatly reduced.
In some embodiments, the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, and the second portion of the second waveguide is a portion of the second waveguide that is adjacent to the wedge-facet. The electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide is less than the electro-optic coefficient of the second waveguide. The control device includes a first control board and a second control board. When the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide is negative, the first control board and the second control board are covered on the first waveguide, current is formed between the first control board and the second control board, and the current between the first control board and the second control board flows through the first part; or when the electro-optic coefficient of the second waveguide is a positive electro-optic coefficient, the first control board and the second control board are both covered on the second waveguide, a current is formed between the first control board and the second control board, and the current between the first control board and the second control board flows through the second part; or, the first control board covers the first waveguide, the second control board covers the second waveguide, a current is formed between the first control board and the second control board, and the current between the first control board and the second control board flows through the first portion and the second portion; or, the first control board and the second control board are covered on the first waveguide and the second waveguide, a current is formed between the first control board and the second control board, and the current between the first control board and the second control board flows through the first part and the second part.
In the embodiment of the present application, when the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide is a negative electro-optic coefficient and the electro-optic coefficient of the second waveguide is a positive electro-optic coefficient, the refractive index of the first waveguide decreases when a current flows through the first waveguide, and the refractive index of the second waveguide increases when the current flows through the second waveguide. In this way, when the current between the first control board and the second control board flows through the first portion and the second portion, the current required for the difference in refractive index between the first portion and the second portion to reach the same amount of change is smaller, so that the power consumption can be greatly reduced.
Optionally, the dissipation area may be made of a light absorbing material to absorb the input light. Alternatively, the dissipation area may be a scattering structure, for example, the dissipation area may be designed as a zigzag structure to scatter the input light.
In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an optical path gating apparatus, including: the waveguide comprises a substrate, a first waveguide, a second waveguide, a third waveguide and a control device. Specifically, the first waveguide and the second waveguide cover the upper surface of the substrate. The first waveguide has a wedge-facet and the second waveguide overlies the wedge-facet. The refractive index of the first waveguide is greater than that of the second waveguide, and the control device is configured to adjust the refractive index of at least one of the first waveguide and the second waveguide to adjust the size of the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped facet. An included angle between the center line of the first waveguide and the normal of the wedge-shaped surface is larger than or equal to a total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface before the refractive index of the control device is not adjusted, and is smaller than the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface after the refractive index of the control device is adjusted. And a target area in the second waveguide is in contact with the third waveguide, and the target area is an area to which input light is reflected after being totally reflected on the wedge-shaped surface.
In particular, other alternatives to the above first aspect are applicable to the optical path gating device provided by the second aspect, in addition to the specific description regarding the dissipation area. And will not be described in detail herein.
In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an optoelectronic chip, where the optoelectronic chip includes an on-chip optical system and the normally-dark-light switch of the first aspect, and the normally-dark-light switch is disposed at an output end of the on-chip optical system.
In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an optoelectronic chip, where the optoelectronic chip includes an on-chip optical system and the optical path gating apparatus in the second aspect, and the optical path gating apparatus is disposed at an optical path switching end of the on-chip optical system.
The technical effects obtained by the second, third and fourth aspects are similar to the technical effects obtained by the corresponding technical means in the first aspect, and are not described herein again.
The technical scheme provided by the application can at least bring the following beneficial effects: the device provided by the embodiment of the application has a simple and compact structure, is easy to be applied to various photoelectron chips, and has good on-chip integration. In addition, the size of the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface is only required to be adjusted through the control device so as to realize the blocking or passing-through or gating of the optical path, and therefore the required adjustment power consumption is relatively low. In addition, the device provided by the embodiment of the application has low requirements on the shape, the position and the alignment precision of the control device, so that the device is easy to manufacture, and the cost can be greatly reduced.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a Y-branch beam splitter provided in the related art;
fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a first normally dark light switch provided in an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a second normally dark light switch provided in the embodiment of the present application;
fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a third normally dark light switch provided in the embodiment of the present application;
fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a fourth normally dark light switch provided in the embodiment of the present application;
fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a fifth normally dark light switch provided in the embodiment of the present application;
fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a sixth normally dark light switch provided in the embodiment of the present application;
fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a seventh normally dark light switch provided in the embodiment of the present application;
fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an eighth normally dark light switch provided in the embodiment of the present application;
fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a ninth normally dark light switch provided in the embodiment of the present application;
fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a tenth normally dark light switch provided in the embodiment of the present application;
fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of an eleventh normally dark light switch provided in the embodiment of the present application;
fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a twelfth normally dark light switch provided in the embodiment of the present application;
fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a thirteenth normally dark light switch provided in an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical path gating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of an optoelectronic chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of another optoelectronic chip provided in an embodiment of the present application.
Reference numerals: 10: substrate, 11: first waveguide, 12: second waveguide, 13: control device, 131: thermode, 132: first control board, 133: second control board, 14: cladding, 15: third waveguide, a 1: first part, a 1: second part, a 1: transition portion, W: wedge-face, N: normal to the wedge face, L: center line of the first waveguide, D: dissipation area, T: target area, 161: light-on-chip system, 162: normally dark light switch, 171: light-on-chip system, 172: and an optical path gating device.
Detailed Description
To make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clear, embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the reference to "at least one" in the embodiments of the present application may be one or more; the reference to "comprising" means that the inclusion is not exclusive, i.e. may include other elements in addition to the elements mentioned; reference to "a and/or B" means one or both of a or B.
Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a normally dark light switch according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 2, the normally dark light switch includes: a substrate 10, a first waveguide 11, a second waveguide 12 and a control device 13.
The first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12 are both covered on the upper surface of the substrate 10. The first waveguide 11 has a wedge-facet W on which the second waveguide 12 overlies. The refractive index of the first waveguide 11 is larger than the refractive index of the second waveguide 12, and the control device 13 is configured to adjust the refractive index of at least one of the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12 to adjust the magnitude of the total reflection angle of the wedge-facet W. The angle between the center line L of the first waveguide 11 and the normal N of the wedge-shaped facet W is greater than or equal to the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped facet W before the refractive index of the control device 13 is not adjusted, and is smaller than the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped facet W after the refractive index of the control device 13 is adjusted. The second waveguide 12 includes a dissipation area D, where the dissipation area D is an area to which the input light is reflected after being totally reflected on the wedge-shaped surface W, and the dissipation area D is used for absorbing or scattering the input light.
It should be noted that the normally-dark optical switch provided in the embodiment of the present application can block the input light in the first waveguide 11 before the control device 13 does not adjust the refractive index (i.e., when the control device 13 is not operating), that is, the input light in the first waveguide 11 is not transmitted to the output end of the second waveguide 12. That is, normally dim on light is in the off state. After the control device 13 adjusts the refractive index (i.e. when the control device 13 is operating), the input light in the first waveguide 11 will be transmitted to the output end of the second waveguide 12, i.e. the normally dark off light is in a pass-through state.
The waveguides 11 and 12 may be a light-transmitting guide structure formed of a transparent medium. Specifically, the first waveguide 11 may be made of titanium dioxide (TiO2), SU-8, or the like, and the second waveguide 12 may be made of silicon oxynitride (SiON), silicon nitride (SiN), or the like. The interface of the waveguides 11 and 12 is a wedge facet W. The connection between the input end of the first waveguide 11 and the output end of the second waveguide 12 to the outside may be a waveguide made of optical fiber or other materials.
The input light of the first waveguide 11 may be transmitted along the center line L of the first waveguide 11 towards the wedge-facet W of the first waveguide 11. That is, the angle between the input light in the first waveguide 11 and the normal N of the wedge-facet W is greater than or equal to the total reflection angle of the wedge-facet W before the control device 13 does not adjust the refractive index, and is smaller than the total reflection angle of the wedge-facet W after the control device 13 adjusts the refractive index.
In addition, the substrate 10 is used to carry a first waveguide 11 and a second waveguide 12. The refractive index of the substrate 10 is smaller than the refractive indices of the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12. Specifically, the substrate 10 may be made of silicon dioxide (SiO2), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), or the like.
It should be noted that the control device 13 can adjust the refractive index of all or a part of the first waveguide 11 and/or can adjust the refractive index of all or a part of the second waveguide 12 to adjust the size of the total reflection angle of the wedge-facet W.
When the control device 13 is not operated, the difference in refractive index between the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12 is large, and the total reflection angle of the interface between the two waveguides (i.e., the wedge surface W) is small. In operation of the control device 13, the control device 13 may adjust the refractive index of at least one of the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12 such that the difference between the refractive indices of the two waveguides is smaller, and the total reflection angle of the wedge-facet W is increased.
In the embodiment of the present application, when the control device 13 is not operating, an angle between the input light in the first waveguide 11 and the normal N of the wedge-shaped surface W is greater than or equal to a total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface W, so that the input light in the first waveguide 11 is totally reflected on the wedge-shaped surface W. The input light is reflected to the dissipation area D in the second waveguide 12 after being totally reflected on the wedge-shaped surface W, and the dissipation area D absorbs or scatters the input light, so that light blocking can be realized. When the control means 13 is in operation, the control means 13 will cause the angle of total reflection of the wedge-facet W to increase. At this time, an included angle between the input light in the first waveguide 11 and the normal N of the wedge W is smaller than a total reflection angle of the wedge W, so that the input light in the first waveguide 11 is not totally reflected on the wedge W, but is refracted by the wedge W and transmitted to the output end of the second waveguide 12, thereby realizing light penetration.
The normally dark light switch shown in fig. 2 has a simple and compact structure, is easy to be applied to various photoelectronic chips, and has good on-chip integration. Furthermore, the total reflection angle of the wedge-facet W only needs to be adjusted by the control device 13 to achieve blocking or passing through of the optical path, so that the required adjustment power consumption is relatively small. In addition, the normally dark optical switch provided by the embodiment of the application has low requirements on the shape, the position and the alignment precision of the control device 13, so that the normally dark optical switch is easy to manufacture, and the cost can be greatly reduced. In addition, the process of the normally dark light switch is friendly, and the normally dark light switch can be compatible with a CMOS standard flow, so that the application range can be enlarged.
Alternatively, as shown in fig. 2, the faces of the first waveguide 11 adjacent to the wedge-facet W are both parallel to the centerline L of the first waveguide 11. That is, when the input light of the first waveguide 11 is transmitted to the second waveguide 12, the input light is transmitted to the second waveguide 12 only through the wedge surface W.
Alternatively, the dissipation region D in the second waveguide 12 may be made of a light absorbing material to absorb the input light. Alternatively, the dissipation area D may be a scattering structure. Such as designing the dissipation area D as a zigzag structure, etc., to scatter the input light. The dissipation area D can prevent the input light totally reflected by the wedge-shaped facet W from being cross-linked to the output end of the second waveguide 12 after being reflected twice.
Referring to fig. 3-11, first waveguide 11 may include a first portion a1, first portion a1 being the portion of first waveguide 11 that includes wedge-facet W, and second waveguide 12 may include a second portion a2, second portion a2 being the portion of second waveguide 12 adjacent to wedge-facet W. Alternatively, the width of the first portion a1 gradually decreases in a direction in which the centerline of the first waveguide 11 approaches the second waveguide 12.
Note that the optical mode field of the input light in the first waveguide 11 is different from the optical mode field in the second waveguide 12. In the embodiment of the present application, the width of the first portion a1 gradually decreases along the central line of the first waveguide 11 toward the second waveguide 12, so that the first portion a1 can provide a mode field tapering function. That is, when the input light is transmitted to the wedge-facet W in the first portion a1, the optical mode field of the input light gradually changes, so that abrupt changes of the optical mode field can be effectively avoided to reduce the insertion loss.
Optionally, referring to fig. 3, a tapered portion a3 is also included in the second waveguide 12. The tapered portion A3 covers the first waveguide 11 except for the first portion a1, and the width of the tapered portion A3 gradually increases in a direction toward the second waveguide 12 along the center line L of the first waveguide 11.
The gradation portion a3 can provide an optical mode field gradation function. That is, when the input light is transmitted to the wedge-facet W in the portion of the first waveguide 11 covered by the tapered portion a3, the optical mode field of the input light is gradually changed, so that abrupt change of the optical mode field can be effectively avoided to reduce insertion loss.
It should be noted that the tapering portion A3 may be coated on all or a portion of the first waveguide 11 except for the first portion a 1. The present embodiment is not limited to this.
Referring to fig. 4, the dimmable switch may further comprise a cladding 14. The cladding layer 14 covers the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12. The cladding 14 may protect the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12, for example, may prevent the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12 from being corroded by corrosive medium, and may prevent collision, scratch, and the like.
The control device 13 may adjust the refractive index of at least one of the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12 in a variety of ways. Illustratively, the control device 13 may have several structures as follows.
The first structure is as follows: referring to fig. 5, the control device 13 is a hot electrode 131. The thermode 131 is disposed inside the substrate 10, and an orthogonal projection of the first portion a1 and/or the second portion a2 on the upper surface of the substrate 10 is located within an orthogonal projection of the thermode 131 on the upper surface of the substrate 10. The thermo-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is smaller than that of the second waveguide 12.
When the thermo-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is a negative thermo-optic coefficient, that is, when the refractive index of the first waveguide 11 decreases with an increase in temperature, it may be only that the forward projection of the first portion a1 on the upper surface of the substrate 10 is located within the forward projection of the hot electrode 131 on the upper surface of the substrate 10. At this time, the hot electrode 131 heats only the first portion a1, the refractive index of the first portion a1 is decreased, and thus the difference between the refractive indices of the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 is decreased.
When the thermo-optic coefficient of the second waveguide 12 is a positive thermo-optic coefficient, that is, when the refractive index of the second waveguide 12 increases with an increase in temperature, it may be only that the orthographic projection of the second portion a2 on the upper surface of the substrate 10 is located within the orthographic projection of the hot electrode 131 on the upper surface of the substrate 10. At this time, the hot electrode 131 only heats the second portion a2, the refractive index of the second portion a2 increases, and the difference between the refractive indexes of the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 decreases.
Of course, in any case, the orthographic projections of the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 on the upper surface of the substrate 10 may be both located within the orthographic projection of the hot electrode 131 on the upper surface of the substrate 10. At this time, the thermal electrode 131 heats the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 simultaneously, and when the same heating temperature is reached, the refractive index of the second portion a2 is increased by a larger amount than that of the first portion a1, so that the difference between the refractive indices of the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 is reduced.
It should be noted that, when the thermo-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is a negative thermo-optic coefficient and the thermo-optic coefficient of the second waveguide 12 is a positive thermo-optic coefficient, the refractive index of the first waveguide 11 decreases with increasing temperature, and the refractive index of the second waveguide 12 increases with increasing temperature. In this manner, when the first and second portions a1 and a2 are simultaneously heated using the hot electrode 131, the heating temperature required for the difference in refractive index between the first and second portions a1 and a2 to reach the same amount of change is lower, so that power consumption can be greatly reduced.
The second structure is as follows: referring to fig. 6 and 7, the control device 13 is a thermode 131. The hot electrode 131 is disposed inside or on the upper surface of the cladding 14, and an orthographic projection of the first portion a1 and/or the second portion a2 on the upper surface of the substrate 10 is within an orthographic projection of the hot electrode 131 on the upper surface of the substrate 10. The thermo-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is smaller than that of the second waveguide 12.
When the thermo-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is a negative thermo-optic coefficient, it may be only that the forward projection of the first portion a1 on the upper surface of the substrate 10 is located within the forward projection of the hot electrode 131 on the upper surface of the substrate 10. When the thermo-optic coefficient of the second waveguide 12 is a positive thermo-optic coefficient, it may be only that the orthographic projection of the second portion a2 on the upper surface of the substrate 10 is located within the orthographic projection of the hot electrode 131 on the upper surface of the substrate 10. Of course, it is also possible that the orthographic projections of the first and second portions a1 and a2 on the upper surface of the substrate 10 are both located within the orthographic projection of the hot electrode 131 on the upper surface of the substrate 10.
A third structure: referring to fig. 8 and 9, the control device 13 includes a first control board 132 and a second control board 133. The first control plate 132 is located inside or on the upper surface of the cladding 14 and the second control plate 133 is located inside the substrate 10. The electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is smaller than that of the second waveguide 12, an electric field is formed between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133, and the first portion a1 and/or the second portion a2 are/is located in the electric field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133; alternatively, the magneto-optical coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is smaller than the magneto-optical coefficient of the second waveguide 12, a magnetic field is formed between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133, and the first portion a1 and/or the second portion a2 are located in the magnetic field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133.
It is to be noted that the first control board 132 is not in contact with the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12, and the second control board 133 is not in contact with the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12.
When the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is negative, that is, when the refractive index of the first waveguide 11 is reduced in the electric field, it may be only the first portion a1 that is located in the electric field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133. At this time, the refractive index of the first portion a1 is decreased, and thus the difference in refractive index between the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 is decreased.
When the electro-optic coefficient of the second waveguide 12 is a positive electro-optic coefficient, that is, when the refractive index of the second waveguide 12 increases in the electric field, it may be only the second portion a2 that is located within the electric field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133. At this time, the refractive index of the second portion a2 increases, and thus the difference in refractive index between the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 decreases.
Of course, it is also possible that both the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 are located within the electric field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133. At this time, when the same electric field intensity is reached, the increase amount of the refractive index of the second portion a2 is larger than that of the first portion a1, so that the difference in refractive index between the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 is reduced.
It is to be noted that, when the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is a negative electro-optic coefficient and the electro-optic coefficient of the second waveguide 12 is a positive electro-optic coefficient, the refractive index of the first waveguide 11 is decreased in the electric field and the refractive index of the second waveguide 12 is increased in the electric field. As such, when the first and second portions a1 and a2 are both located within the electric field between the first and second control plates 132 and 133, the electric field strength required for the refractive index difference between the first and second portions a1 and a2 to reach the same amount of change is lower, so that power consumption can be greatly reduced.
When the magneto-optical coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is a negative magneto-optical coefficient, that is, when the refractive index of the first waveguide 11 is reduced in a magnetic field, it may be only the first portion a1 that is located in the magnetic field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133. At this time, the refractive index of the first portion a1 is decreased, and thus the difference in refractive index between the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 is decreased.
When the magneto-optical coefficient of the second waveguide 12 is a positive magneto-optical coefficient, that is, when the refractive index of the second waveguide 12 increases in a magnetic field, it may be only the second portion a2 that is located in the magnetic field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133. At this time, the refractive index of the second portion a2 increases, and thus the difference in refractive index between the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 decreases.
Of course, it is also possible that the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 are both located within the magnetic field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133. At this time, when the same magnetic field strength is reached, the increase in the refractive index of the second portion a2 is larger than the increase in the refractive index of the first portion a1, so that the difference in the refractive index between the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 decreases.
It is to be noted that, when the magneto-optical coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is a negative magneto-optical coefficient and the magneto-optical coefficient of the second waveguide 12 is a positive magneto-optical coefficient, the refractive index of the first waveguide 11 is decreased in a magnetic field and the refractive index of the second waveguide 12 is increased in the magnetic field. In this manner, when the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 are both located within the magnetic field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133, the magnetic field strength required for the difference in refractive index between the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 to reach the same amount of change is lower, and power consumption can be greatly reduced.
A fourth configuration: referring to fig. 10, the control device 13 includes a first control board 132 and a second control board 133. The first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133 are covered on the upper surface of the substrate 10. The electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is smaller than that of the second waveguide 12, an electric field is formed between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133, and the first portion a1 and/or the second portion a2 are/is located in the electric field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133; alternatively, the magneto-optical coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is smaller than the magneto-optical coefficient of the second waveguide 12, a magnetic field is formed between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133, and the first portion a1 and/or the second portion a2 are located in the magnetic field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133.
It is to be noted that the first control board 132 is not in contact with the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12, and the second control board 133 is not in contact with the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12. Also, when the normally dark light switch further includes the cladding 14, the first and second control boards 132 and 133 may be located between the substrate 10 and the cladding 14.
When the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is negative, it may be only the first portion a1 that is located within the electric field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133. When the electro-optic coefficient of the second waveguide 12 is a positive electro-optic coefficient, it may be only the second portion a2 that is located within the electric field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133. Of course, it is also possible that both the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 are located within the electric field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133.
When the magneto-optical coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is a negative magneto-optical coefficient, it may be only the first portion a1 that is located in the magnetic field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133. When the magneto-optical coefficient of the second waveguide 12 is a positive magneto-optical coefficient, it may be only the second portion a2 that is located in the magnetic field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133. Of course, it is also possible that the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 are both located within the magnetic field between the first control plate 132 and the second control plate 133.
A fifth configuration: referring to fig. 11, 12, 13 and 14, the control device 13 includes a first control board 132 and a second control board 133. The electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is smaller than that of the second waveguide 12.
Referring to fig. 11, when the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is negative, the first control board 132 and the second control board 133 are both overlaid on the first waveguide 11. A current is formed between the first control board 132 and the second control board 133, and the current between the first control board 132 and the second control board 133 flows through the first portion a 1.
When the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is negative, the refractive index of the first waveguide 11 decreases when a current flows through the first waveguide 11. Thus, when a current between the first and second control plates 132 and 133 flows through the first portion a1, the refractive index of the first portion a1 may decrease, and thus the difference in refractive index between the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 may decrease. In this case, the first waveguide 11 may be a ridge waveguide.
Alternatively, referring to fig. 12, when the electro-optic coefficient of the second waveguide 12 is a positive electro-optic coefficient, the first control board 132 and the second control board 133 are both overlaid on the second waveguide 12. A current is formed between the first control board 132 and the second control board 133, and the current between the first control board 132 and the second control board 133 flows through the second portion a 2.
When the electro-optic coefficient of the second waveguide 12 is a positive electro-optic coefficient, the refractive index of the second waveguide 12 increases when current flows through the second waveguide 12, and thus when current between the first and second control plates 132 and 133 flows through the second portion a2, the refractive index of the second portion a2 decreases, and thus the difference in refractive index between the first portion a1 and the second portion a2 decreases. In this case, the second waveguide 12 may be a ridge waveguide.
Alternatively, referring to fig. 13, the first control board 132 is overlaid on the first waveguide 11, and the second control board 133 is overlaid on the second waveguide 12. A current is formed between the first and second control plates 132 and 133, and the current between the first and second control plates 132 and 133 flows through the first and second portions a1 and a 2.
When the current between the first and second control plates 132 and 133 flows through the first and second portions a1 and a2, the decrease in the refractive index of the first portion a1 is greater than the decrease in the refractive index of the second portion a2 when the same current level is reached, so that the difference in the refractive indices of the first and second portions a1 and 2 is reduced. In this case, both the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12 may be ridge waveguides.
Alternatively, referring to fig. 14, the first control board 132 and the second control board 133 are overlaid on the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12. A current is formed between the first and second control plates 132 and 133, and the current between the first and second control plates 132 and 133 flows through the first and second portions a1 and a 2.
When the current between the first and second control plates 132 and 133 flows through the first and second portions a1 and a2, the decrease in the refractive index of the first portion a1 is greater than the decrease in the refractive index of the second portion a2 when the same current level is reached, so that the difference in the refractive indices of the first and second portions a1 and 2 is reduced. In this case, both the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12 may be ridge waveguides.
It should be noted that, when the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide 11 is negative and the electro-optic coefficient of the second waveguide 12 is positive, the refractive index of the first waveguide 11 decreases when a current flows through the first waveguide 11, and the refractive index of the second waveguide 12 increases when a current flows through the second waveguide 12. As such, when the current between the first and second control boards 132 and 133 flows through the first and second portions a1 and a2, the current required for the difference in refractive index between the first and second portions a1 and a2 to reach the same amount of change is smaller, so that power consumption can be greatly reduced.
In the embodiment of the present application, the control device 13 can adjust the refractive index of at least one of the first waveguide 11 and the second waveguide 12 in a thermo-optical manner, an electro-optical manner, a magneto-optical manner, and the like, and the adjustment manner is flexible. In the present embodiment, the structure of the control device 13 is described by taking only the above five structures as an example, and in practical applications, the control device 13 may have another structure as long as the refractive index of the waveguide can be adjusted.
Fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical path gating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 15, the optical path gating apparatus includes: a substrate 10, a first waveguide 11, a second waveguide 12, a third waveguide 15 and a control device 13. Except for the third waveguide 15, other components and relative position relationships are similar to the device structure shown in fig. 2, and related descriptions can refer to the corresponding descriptions shown in fig. 2, which are not repeated herein. The main difference between the device shown in fig. 15 and fig. 2 is that: the device shown in fig. 15 comprises a third waveguide 15. The third waveguide 15 is in contact with a target region T in the second waveguide 12, where the input light is reflected after being totally reflected on the wedge-shaped surface W. The third waveguide 15 may have a light-transmitting guide structure formed of a transparent medium.
The devices of fig. 2 and 15 also differ from a functional point of view. The normally dark light shown in fig. 2 is on, i.e. a break-through or a block of the light path is achieved. While the arrangement of figure 15 is for the optical path to be output from one of the two ports (i.e. optical path gating). Specifically, when the control device 13 is not operating, the optical path may be output from the third waveguide 15; the optical path may be output from the second waveguide 12 when the controller 13 is in operation. For a detailed description of the principle, reference may be made to the description of fig. 2, which is not repeated herein.
The optical path gating device provided by the embodiment of the application has a simple and compact structure, is easy to be applied to various photoelectron chips, and has good on-chip integration. In addition, the control device 13 is only needed to adjust the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface W to gate the optical path, so that the required adjustment power consumption is relatively small. In addition, the optical path gating device provided by the embodiment of the application has low requirements on the shape, the position and the alignment precision of the control device 13, so that the optical path gating device is easy to manufacture and can greatly reduce the cost. In addition, the optical path gating device is process-friendly and can be compatible with a CMOS standard flow generally, so that the application range can be enlarged.
It should be noted that, besides the description related to the dissipation area D, the detailed descriptions of other technical features described in fig. 2 to 14 and some optional technical features are still applicable to the apparatus shown in fig. 15, and are not repeated herein. For example, alternatively, as shown in fig. 15, the facets of the first waveguide 11 adjacent to the wedge facet W are all parallel to the centerline L of the first waveguide 11. As another example, the device includes a cladding layer, and the like. As another example, various specific implementations of the control device 13, and the like.
Fig. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of an optoelectronic chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 16, the optoelectronic chip includes: an on-chip light system 161 and a normally dark light switch 162 as described above with respect to any of fig. 2-14. The normally-off switch 162 is disposed at the output end 161a of the on-chip light system 161.
The on-chip Optical system may be an Optical chip of any complexity, for example, a silicon Optical chip, a modulator chip, an Optical transmitter, a Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexer (CWDM) Optical chip, a Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexer (DWDM) Optical chip, an Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (OADM) Optical chip, or the like. The present embodiment is not limited to this.
In the embodiment of the present application, the normally dark optical switch 162 can automatically block the input light output from the normally dark optical switch 162 by the on-chip optical system 161 at the output end 161a when the optoelectronic chip fails, so as to effectively prevent the optical signal that is not processed in the optoelectronic chip from being directly transmitted to the subsequent optical path to cause crosstalk, thereby implementing optical path protection during failure.
Fig. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of an optoelectronic chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 17, the optoelectronic chip includes: an on-chip optical system 171 and the optical path gating device 172 shown in fig. 15. The optical path gating device 172 is disposed at the optical path switching end 171a of the soc 171.
The optical system on chip may be an optical chip with any complexity, for example, a silicon optical chip, a modulator chip, an optical transmitter, a CWDM optical chip, a DWDM optical chip, an OADM optical chip, etc. The present embodiment is not limited to this.
In the embodiment of the present application, the input light output from the optical system on chip 171 at the optical path switching end 171a to the optical path gating device 172 may be output from the output end of the second waveguide 12 or the output end of the third waveguide 15 in the optical path gating device 172. That is, the optoelectronic chip can select the output end of the input light through the control device 13, and the optical path gating process is simple.
It should be noted that the normally-dark optical switch or the optical path gating device provided in the embodiments of the present application may be applied in various scenarios. Alternatively, the optical switch may be integrated with an optoelectronic chip, for example, the normally dark optical switch or the optical path gating device provided in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated at an output end of the optoelectronic chip. Or, the optical switch and the optical path gating device can be applied as a bare chip, for example, only the bare chip of the normally dark optical switch or the optical path gating device provided by the embodiment of the present application can be separately prepared, and the bare chip can be used in an interface with other optoelectronic chips. Alternatively, the normally-dark optical switch or the optical path gating apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application may be packaged separately for use, for example, the normally-dark optical switch or the optical path gating apparatus may be packaged as a separate device, and the input end and the output end of the separate device may be connected to the upper stage system and the lower stage system respectively through optical fibers or other waveguides.
The optoelectronic chip described above may be of any complexity. For example, it may be a silicon optical chip, a modulator chip, an optical transmitter, a CWDM optical chip, a DWDM optical chip, an OADM optical chip, etc. The present embodiment is not limited to this.
The above-mentioned embodiments are provided not to limit the present application, and any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims (18)

1. A normally dark light switch, comprising: the waveguide comprises a substrate, a first waveguide, a second waveguide and a control device;
the first waveguide and the second waveguide are covered on the upper surface of the substrate, the first waveguide is provided with a wedge-shaped surface, and the second waveguide is covered on the wedge-shaped surface;
the refractive index of the first waveguide is larger than that of the second waveguide, and the control device is used for adjusting the refractive index of at least one of the first waveguide and the second waveguide in a thermo-optical, electro-optical or magneto-optical mode so as to adjust the size of the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface;
an included angle between a center line of the first waveguide and a normal line of the wedge-shaped surface is larger than or equal to a total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface before the refractive index of the control device is not adjusted, and is smaller than the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface after the refractive index of the control device is adjusted;
the second waveguide comprises a dissipation area, the dissipation area is an area to which input light is reflected after being totally reflected on the wedge-shaped surface, and the dissipation area is used for absorbing or scattering the input light.
2. The normally dark optical switch of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, and wherein the width of the first portion decreases in a direction toward the second waveguide along a centerline of the first waveguide.
3. The normally dark optical switch of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, the second waveguide further including a tapered portion;
the gradual change portion covers the first waveguide except for the first portion, and the width of the gradual change portion is gradually increased along the central line of the first waveguide towards the direction that the second waveguide approaches.
4. The darklight switch of claim 1, further comprising a cladding layer; the cladding layer overlies the first waveguide and the second waveguide.
5. The normally dark optical switch of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first waveguide has a lower thermo-optic coefficient than the second waveguide, the first portion of the first waveguide being the portion of the first waveguide containing the wedge-facet, the second portion of the second waveguide being the portion of the second waveguide adjacent to the wedge-facet;
the control device is a hot electrode, the hot electrode is arranged in the substrate, and the orthographic projection of the first part and/or the second part on the upper surface of the substrate is positioned in the orthographic projection of the hot electrode on the upper surface of the substrate.
6. The normally dark optical switch of claim 4, wherein a thermo-optic coefficient of the first waveguide is less than a thermo-optic coefficient of the second waveguide, the first portion of the first waveguide being a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, the second portion of the second waveguide being a portion of the second waveguide adjacent to the wedge-facet;
the control device is a hot electrode, the hot electrode is arranged in the cladding or on the upper surface of the cladding, and the orthographic projection of the first part and/or the second part on the upper surface of the substrate is positioned in the orthographic projection of the hot electrode on the upper surface of the substrate.
7. The normally dark optical switch of claim 4, wherein the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, the second portion of the second waveguide is a portion of the second waveguide that is adjacent to the wedge-facet, the control device comprises a first control plate and a second control plate, the first control plate is located within or on the upper surface of the cladding layer, and the second control plate is located within the substrate;
the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide is smaller than that of the second waveguide, an electric field is formed between the first control plate and the second control plate, and the first part and/or the second part are/is positioned in the electric field between the first control plate and the second control plate; or the magneto-optical coefficient of the first waveguide is smaller than that of the second waveguide, a magnetic field is formed between the first control board and the second control board, and the first part and/or the second part are/is located in the magnetic field between the first control board and the second control board.
8. The normally dark optical switch of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, the second portion of the second waveguide is a portion of the second waveguide that is adjacent to the wedge-facet, and the control device comprises a first control board and a second control board, both the first control board and the second control board overlying the upper surface of the substrate;
the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide is smaller than that of the second waveguide, an electric field is formed between the first control plate and the second control plate, and the first part and/or the second part are/is positioned in the electric field between the first control plate and the second control plate; or the magneto-optical coefficient of the first waveguide is smaller than that of the second waveguide, a magnetic field is formed between the first control board and the second control board, and the first part and/or the second part are/is located in the magnetic field between the first control board and the second control board.
9. An optical path gating apparatus, comprising: the waveguide comprises a substrate, a first waveguide, a second waveguide, a third waveguide and a control device;
the first waveguide and the second waveguide are covered on the upper surface of the substrate, the first waveguide is provided with a wedge-shaped surface, and the second waveguide is covered on the wedge-shaped surface;
the refractive index of the first waveguide is larger than that of the second waveguide, and the control device is used for adjusting the refractive index of at least one of the first waveguide and the second waveguide in a thermo-optical, electro-optical or magneto-optical mode so as to adjust the size of the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface;
an included angle between a center line of the first waveguide and a normal line of the wedge-shaped surface is larger than or equal to a total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface before the refractive index of the control device is not adjusted, and is smaller than the total reflection angle of the wedge-shaped surface after the refractive index of the control device is adjusted;
and a target area in the second waveguide is in contact with the third waveguide, and the target area is an area to which input light is reflected after being totally reflected on the wedge-shaped surface.
10. The optical path gating apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, and wherein the width of the first portion decreases in a direction toward the second waveguide along a centerline of the first waveguide.
11. The optical path gating apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, the second waveguide further comprising a tapered portion;
the gradual change portion covers the first waveguide except for the first portion, and the width of the gradual change portion is gradually increased along the central line of the first waveguide towards the direction that the second waveguide approaches.
12. The optical path gating apparatus of claim 9, wherein the optical path gating apparatus further comprises a cladding layer; the cladding layer overlies the first waveguide and the second waveguide.
13. The optical path gating apparatus of any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the first waveguide has a smaller thermo-optic coefficient than the second waveguide, the first portion of the first waveguide being a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, the second portion of the second waveguide being a portion of the second waveguide adjacent to the wedge-facet;
the control device is a hot electrode, the hot electrode is arranged in the substrate, and the orthographic projection of the first part and/or the second part on the upper surface of the substrate is positioned in the orthographic projection of the hot electrode on the upper surface of the substrate.
14. The optical path gating apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first waveguide has a smaller thermo-optic coefficient than the second waveguide, the first portion of the first waveguide being a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, the second portion of the second waveguide being a portion of the second waveguide adjacent to the wedge-facet;
the control device is a hot electrode, the hot electrode is arranged in the cladding or on the upper surface of the cladding, and the orthographic projection of the first part and/or the second part on the upper surface of the substrate is positioned in the orthographic projection of the hot electrode on the upper surface of the substrate.
15. The optical path gating apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, the second portion of the second waveguide is a portion of the second waveguide that is adjacent to the wedge-facet, the control device includes a first control board and a second control board, the first control board is located inside or on an upper surface of the cladding layer, and the second control board is located inside the substrate;
the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide is smaller than that of the second waveguide, an electric field is formed between the first control plate and the second control plate, and the first part and/or the second part are/is positioned in the electric field between the first control plate and the second control plate; or the magneto-optical coefficient of the first waveguide is smaller than that of the second waveguide, a magnetic field is formed between the first control board and the second control board, and the first part and/or the second part are/is located in the magnetic field between the first control board and the second control board.
16. The optical path gating apparatus of any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the first portion of the first waveguide is a portion of the first waveguide that includes the wedge-facet, the second portion of the second waveguide is a portion of the second waveguide that is adjacent to the wedge-facet, and the control device comprises a first control board and a second control board, both of which are overlaid on the upper surface of the substrate;
the electro-optic coefficient of the first waveguide is smaller than that of the second waveguide, an electric field is formed between the first control plate and the second control plate, and the first part and/or the second part are/is positioned in the electric field between the first control plate and the second control plate; or the magneto-optical coefficient of the first waveguide is smaller than that of the second waveguide, a magnetic field is formed between the first control board and the second control board, and the first part and/or the second part are/is located in the magnetic field between the first control board and the second control board.
17. An optoelectronic chip, comprising an on-chip optical system and the normally-off switch of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the normally-off switch is disposed at an output of the on-chip optical system.
18. An optoelectronic chip, comprising an on-chip optical system and the optical path gating apparatus of any one of claims 9 to 16, wherein the optical path gating apparatus is disposed at an optical path switching end of the on-chip optical system.
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