Patent ID: 9625785
Date: 2017-04-18
CPC Classifications: G02B,G02F

Claim:
1. An optical cross-connect apparatus for transferring data from at least one input optical carrier to at least one output optical carrier, comprising: a photodetector; an optical microresonator monolithically integrated on a common substrate with the photodetector; a path electrically connecting the photodetector to the microresonator; an arrangement of electrical contacts operable for applying a voltage between the photodetector and the microresonator, wherein the voltage creates an electric field oriented to sweep photogenerated charge carriers from the photodetector into the microresonator upon excitation of the photodetector; an input waveguide optically coupled to the photodetector and configured so that in operation it will excite the photodetector with the input optical carrier; and an output waveguide optically coupled to the microresonator and configured so that in operation it will transport the output optical carrier at least in a downstream direction away from the microresonator, wherein the microresonator is optically coupled to the output waveguide such that at resonance, the output optical carrier does not propagate in the output waveguide in the downstream direction, but away from resonance, the output carrier is able to propagate in the output waveguide in the downstream direction.