Patent ID: 6613596
Filing Date: 2003-09-02
Classification: G02B,H01S

Abstract:
A method of fabricating a monolithically integrated photonic circuit on which optical sources, modulators and photo-detectors are coplanar and identical in internal structure, said method comprising the steps of:a) growing and doping a semiconductor chip made up of layers that together exhibit positive-intrinsic-negative doping profile, the layers residing upon a semiconductor substrate and a middle layer containing multiple quantum wells therein; b) depositing electrical contacts in even distribution on the chip; c) patterning the chip with photoresist such that channel waveguides are designated, each waveguide having thereon an electrical contact and being separated from adjacent waveguides by electrical isolation gaps; d) etching the chip to a pre-determined depth, thereby creating a photonic circuit with raised waveguides, each waveguide supporting an electrical contact; e) applying electric current to the electrical contacts in pre-selected bias modes to cause the various waveguides to function as optical sources, optical modulators or photo-detectors.